Missouri State University honored Veterans Day Friday with a breakfast, followed by a flag raising. Musicians from Bradleyville and Ava High School joined Missouri State band members for the National Anthem and a somber rendition of taps that echoed and cascaded across campus.
Veterans and community members gathered outside of McDonald Hall.
Lieutenant Colonel Mark Alexander spent six years in the Air Force, including service in Desert Storm.
I commanded over 5000 men in my time, and only lost three. I left out as Lieutenant Colonel. And now I kind of try to tell people, you know, that it's not easy trying to go to war, and war is not something that they want to see, because I've done and seen things that people don't see back here, and they need to know that, you know, they need to know that war is not the answer.
HM3 Tom Waddell served in the Navy. He was drafted in 1971.
I went to boot camp in Illinois. Got sent to a ship over in Naples, Italy. Served as a corpsman there on board ship. And then, I was on deployment in that ship in the Mediterranean for a long time. Then also came back to corpsman school. Corpsman are medics for the Navy and for marine personnel. And, I learned how to become a combat corpsman. Then I was sent to Portsmouth Naval Hospital for about two years. That's in Virginia and worked on Navy staff there, battle staff, battle wounded, some from POW camps. Lieutenant McCain, Admiral Denton, are a couple of them that we had brought back from Guam after they were released from POW camps, and we took care of them at Portsmouth Naval Hospital before they were sent to Walter Reed in Washington. In Washington, D.C.
Waddell served four years of active duty and two years inactive. He continued working in the health field after his service and credits the military with giving him that opportunity. He was impressed by the event on campus and thankful for the solemn and serious recognition. He extended that recognition to the family of service members as well.
It's not just us that serve. It's our wives, or our parents who love us. They go through a lot too. And that's never recognized. And that's a shameful thing too. So again, we're just grateful for what we saw here and looking forward to doing it again next year.
MSU veteran staff also took time to honor the moment.
Corporal Jared Steeves, I served in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Third Battalion, Sixth Marine Division Weapons Company from November 28th, 2005 to August 30th, 2010. But who's counting?
I do appreciate that Missouri State does these types of things for veterans. You know, not saying that anybody forgets them, but just to kind of, you know, still celebrate the history, the rich history, especially with how Missouri kind of has a deep history with the military and of itself. But I come to these to kind of not forget those roots, not to be like that old high school quarterback that can't let it go, but it's nice to kind of reconnect and you get to meet a lot of people otherwise that you wouldn't get to meet. So, just actually earlier today at the breakfast, I met a gentleman from the Marine Corps League. And he was just like, you got to come join us. And I was like, okay, increase the cult. I'm joking. Joking.
Jokes aside, Steves said he planned on following up on that offer and getting more involved in the Veterans' organization. A credit to the value of networking at events like this.
Faculty emeritus and trumpeter Doctor John Prescott has had the honor of leading the annual rendition of taps for years.
I play, really for my father. I carry his Distinguished Flying Cross in my pocket when I play. He was a veteran who flew in the Army Air Corps in World War Two and got awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross for 83 missions over the hump, which was the Himalaya mountains from India to China during the war against Japan. So, I have his wings and his DFC, and I play in his honor, but also the honor of all veterans when I play. And it's a nice opportunity to pay tribute to those folks.