Tag Archive for: veterans

Memorial Day Reflection and Remembrance on Wednesday

SOU Memorial Day event commemorates fallen service members

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Southern Oregon University will observe Memorial Day during a commemoration event on Wednesday, May 25, honoring the men and women of our military branches who have died in service to the nation.

The SOU Reflection and Remembrance Ceremony will be from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. in the Rogue River Room, located on the main floor of the Stevenson Union. SOU President Rick Bailey, Jr., an Air Force veteran, will be the keynote speaker.

“We have two days that honor military service – Memorial Day and Veterans Day – that are commonly confused,” said Jesse S. Watson, Ph.D., SOU’s equity coordinator for veterans & military families. “Memorial Day is the opportunity to honor the lives and sacrifices of fallen service members, while Veterans Day is a day to recognize our living military veterans.

“Military service is an oath that each individual upholds but I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the collective sacrifice of each member’s support network,” Watson said. “Countless loved ones mourn their loss, celebrate their dedication and honor their call to service.”

The Memorial Day Reflection and Remembrance Ceremony is an opportunity for the campus community and Rogue Valley neighbors to come together to remember those who have laid down their lives in service and to lift up those loved ones who carry their loss each day. All are welcome to attend the ceremony.

For more information, please visit: sou.edu/veterans.

Veterans & Military Families honors vets

SOU Veterans & Military Families recognizes veterans

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The SJEC Veterans & Military Families at Southern Oregon University held events during the week of Nov. 8 to recognize veterans and provide awareness to local resources that support veterans and military families. One hundred and sixty U.S. flags were placed outside the Stevenson Union to represent the approximately 160 SOU community members (students, staff and faculty) that have self-identified as U.S. veterans.

Events for the week of Veterans Day included presentations by the White City VA M2VA and Whole Health Teams and a panel of SOU Veteran staff and faculty. There was also a display table in the lobby of the Stevenson Union that provided information about the holiday, a “Giving Thanks to Veterans” station with blank thank you cards for veterans and information about mental health services.

“This Veterans Day is my first at SOU, contemplating my naval service and transition back to civilian sectors,” said Jesse S. Watson, Ph.D., the equity coordinator for SOU’s Veterans & Military Families. “Those transitions are difficult for a host of reasons, as a veteran and first-generation college student, I have found a community here at SOU that is working hard to support veterans and military families.”

The VMF has recently closed out the 2020 grant awarded from the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs to help improve outcomes for student veterans at the university. It marked the first time that SOU had secured the Campus Veteran Resource Center (CVRC) Grant, and the SJEC Veterans & Military Families (VMF) area (formerly known as the Veterans Resource Center) has submitted an application for the 2021-22 ODVA CVRC Grant.

Watson said he is “excited about the potential for programmatic growth and developing a robust network of support for veterans and military family members that extends across the Rogue Valley.”

For more information, please visit: sou.edu/veterans