November 15, 2016
St. John's University paused for Veterans Day events on both the Queens and Staten Island campuses last week to honor the men and women who risked their lives in order to fight and protect the United States of America and the freedoms we all cherish.
Organized by the St. John's Office of Community Relations, in collaboration with the Student Veterans Association, and the ROTC Red Storm Battalion, the annual recognition of Veterans Day at the university has become a well-attended and respected event, both in acknowledging the contributions of veterans and educating each generation of college students about the importance of such a day.
The ceremony on the Queens campus, took place in the D’Angelo Center on Monday, November 7th, and was attended by nearly 200 people, including community and student veterans, faculty, staff and administrators. The ceremony began with the SJU ROTC Red Storm Battalion posting the colors and the SJU Mixed Chorus performing the national anthem. Student Veterans Association President, Jonathon De la Cruz, led the Pledge of Allegiance and Sr. Patricia Evanick, a Daughter of Charity, delivered the invocation. Joseph Sciame, Vice President for Community Relations, welcomed the record number of attendees and relayed the history of Veterans Day as well as a greeting from His Excellency, Most Rev. Timothy Broglio, Archbishop of the Military Ordinariate.
Remarks from LTC. Marci Miller of the ROTC Red Storm Battalion were delivered, while Dan Brown, the Queens Borough President’s Veterans Affairs liaison, delivered a proclamation to the Student Veterans Association. In his closing remarks, Sciame conveyed that the university has consistently welcomed recent veterans to its many diverse fields of study with over 400 student veterans enrolled at St. John’s University. He also reiterated the university’s appreciation to the many alumni who have served in the military, which was highlighted by a slideshow showing the many alumni veterans.
At noon on Friday, November 11th, with a blustery wind and a record student attendance of close to 100, the Staten Island community gathered by the campus’ Great Lawn to host it’s Veterans Day remembrance of those who served in the country’s military. Along with Vice President Sciame, Dr. Robert Fanuzzi, Associate Provost for the Staten Island campus, gave a spirited talk about the sacrifices of the men and women of this country who have served in the armed forces.
In assessing the importance of the day’s activities both on Queens and Staten Island campuses, Sciame stated: “As a veteran myself, I am honored to take the lead in these annual ceremonies which celebrate our community relationships for they bring to the core the goodness of the men and women of America who wear the uniform proudly. Our students at St. John’s University learn lessons each day of their lives when in the classroom, and on this one day each year they see the veterans and their spouses who are the pride of America. This is another valuable lesson of life that we can share with our students.”