Army ROTC Cadets to Honor Nation’s Soldiers on Veterans Day
Contact: Maj. Darryl Lyon, UMaine Army ROTC, 581-1125
ORONO — Cadets from the Army and Navy ROTC programs at the University of Maine will participate in the annual Veterans Day vigil on Tuesday, Nov. 11.
The solemn event will occur from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on the steps of the Fogler Library in front of the University Mall. A joint color guard will stand at attention in full dress uniforms in honor of the service members of all America’s wars. The ceremony involves teams of cadets posting two rifles and four flags throughout eight 30-minute shifts.
Through a meticulous changing of the guard ceremony similar to the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington, Va., cadets will relieve the former guards and stand their post in honor.
Army Maj. Darryl Lyon says the university is proud to enable the longstanding tradition of a Veterans Day vigil.
“It’s an opportunity to recognize the sacrifice of the veterans who made it possible for us to have the freedoms we enjoy every day,” he says.
Congress enacted Veterans Day into law on May 24, 1954. Prior to this law, Nov. 11 was celebrated as Armistice Day. That was the day in 1918 when the Germans signed the armistice to cease all hostilities and end the First World War.