North Carolina Central University observed Veterans Day on Monday, Nov. 12, in two ways.
In the morning, nearly 50 NCCU military veterans — students, faculty and staff — were honored with speeches and a flag ceremony in front of the statue of university founder James E. Shepard at the heart of the campus. The gathered crowd saluted the veterans with a hearty round of applause.
The afternoon brought a less formal but more substantive indication of gratitude: the grand opening of NCCU’s new Veterans Center, a meeting place and source of services for the university’s growing contingent of veterans.
Speaking at the flag ceremony, Lt. Col. James Hunt, battalion commander of the U.S. Army Recruiting Command in Raleigh, said, “What impresses me the most about our military men and women is that even after they wear the uniform, they come back and continue to make a commitment to their families and communities.” Not since the Vietnam War, Hunt noted, have there been as many veterans between the ages of 22 and 30. “And this number is only going to increase.”
It is partly in response to this growth that NCCU developed its Veterans Center, which occupies a suite in the Miller–Morgan Building. The Thurgood Marshall College Fund contributed $18,600 to support the establishment of the center, which includes a student lounge, a computer center and office space for NCCU veterans coordinator Tomeka Davis.
