Missouri State University hosts several events on Friday and Saturday in conjunction with Veterans Day to honor veterans and their service. Veterans Day is a national holiday celebrated annually on Nov. 11.
Originally called Armistice Day, the recognizance was first established to mark the end of fighting in World War I, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Allied nations and Germany in 1918 agreed to a temporary ceasefire on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, and that ceasefire became permanent June 28, 1919, with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles.
President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the first Armistice Day on Nov. 11, instead of the treaty signing date, to keep an emphasis on the soldiers who showed heroism and sacrifice in service of the United States. It was officially recognized by Congress in 1926.
After World War II required an even greater mobilization of troops, Congress in 1954 changed the name of the holiday to Veterans Day.
MSU’s events commemorating veterans are open to the public.
Veterans Day Breakfast with Mayor Ken McClure
Springfield Mayor Ken McClure will be a featured guest speaker during a veterans breakfast set for 8:30 a.m. Friday at the Plaster Student Union Ballroom.
McClure was a second lieutenant in the Army Reserves, according to the City of Springfield, and was a captain when he was honorably discharged in 1980. He was also a member of MSU’s Army ROTC Bear Battalion while he attended the university.
The breakfast will also include a color guard presentation from the MSU Pershing Rifles Company, a performance of the national anthem by the Hibernotes, a coed acapella group, and other service songs.
It is sponsored by Central Bank/Central Trust and the Missouri State Foundation.
Taps sounded across campus
After the national anthem is played at 10:55 a.m. on Friday, taps will be sounded across campus at 11:11 a.m. by Missouri State University trumpeters. They will be joined by the Bear Battalion.
Parking is available at the Davis-Harrington Welcome Center or lot No. 29, both located at National Avenue and Bear Boulevard. Golf carts will be available to transport attendees to Plaster Student Union.
“Taps,” commonly performed at military funerals, originated as a “lights out” signal that started during the American Civil War. Maj. Gen. Daniel Adams Butterfield in 1862 revised another call into the solemn, haunting, 24-note “Taps” heard today, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
ROTC alumni open house, ball
The Bear Battalion will open its doors for an open house from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday. It is located on the southeastern corner of Freudenberger House, located at 1000 E. Madison Ave.
The Battalion that evening will host its annual military ball from 5 to 10 p.m. in the Knights of Columbus Diamond Room. Brig. Gen. Anthony Adrian, a member of the class of 1990, will speak and be inducted into its hall of fame.
Admission to the ball is $45. More information is available from Lesa Anderson at 417-836-5791.
Veterans honored during tailgate
The MSU Staff Senate will sponsor a tailgate party from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Veteran Student Center tent, in advance of MSU’s football game against Northern Iowa.
