ASU ROTC to Honor Veterans

Angelo State University’s Air Force ROTC Detachment 847 will recognize Veterans Day and honor the nation’s military veterans with a flag retreat ceremony and candlelight vigil Wednesday, Nov. 12, at the ASU flagpole and Memorial Oak Grove.

Activities will begin at 4 p.m. Nov. 12 with the flag retreat ceremony at the flagpole, which is in front of the Mayer Administration Building, 2601 W. Avenue N. Following opening remarks by detachment Commander Lt. Col. Pedro E. Matos, the ceremony will move to the nearby Memorial Oak Grove for the candlelight vigil, which will begin at 4:30 p.m.

This year’s special guest speaker will be retired U.S. Navy Capt. J.C. Smith, a former F-4 Phantom II pilot, Vietnam War veteran and commander of the U.S. Navy Fighter Weapons School, also known as Top Gun. Following Smith’s remarks, Detachment 847 cadets will begin standing vigil and reading aloud short biographies of ASU alumni veterans.

The first reading will be followed by a reception at the Mayer Administration Building provided by the Dr. Ralph R. Chase West Texas Collection and by the associated volunteer organization, Friends of the Porter Henderson Library and West Texas Collection. The vigil and readings will continue at the Memorial Oak Grove until 8 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 13.

The evening’s activities are free and open to the public and are sponsored by ASU’s Carr Squadron of the Arnold Air Society, the Silver Wings professional student organization and ROTC Detachment 847.

For more information, email [email protected].