Washburn University to Host 38th Annual Veterans Day Ceremony Nov. 11

TOPEKA, Kan. - Washburn University will host its 38th annual Veterans Day ceremony at 11:11 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 11, in the Bradbury Thompson Alumni Center. The event is free and open to the public.

Chris Bowers, military transitions coordinator at Washburn, will open the ceremony by highlighting the significance of Veterans Day and how Washburn honors veterans. Dr. John Fritch, provost and vice president for academic affairs, will then reflect on the university's history of fostering a veteran-friendly environment. This year's keynote speaker is Topeka Mayor Michael A. Padilla.

"This ceremony is one of the many ways we show veterans in the Washburn community that they are seen and their voices are heard," Bowers said.

Program:

• Welcome: Chris Bowers, military transitions coordinator, Washburn University
• Posting of Colors: Topeka West High School JROTC
• Invocation/Blessing: Rev. Richard Souter, pastor, Grantville United Methodist Church
• Comments and Reflection: Dr. John Fritch, provost and vice president for academic affairs, Washburn University
• Keynote speaker: Topeka Mayor Michael A. Padilla
• "Armed Forces Medley," "Home on the Range" and "America the Beautiful:" Capital City Choir
• Veterans tribute: Chris Bowers
• "We Fought for Our Country:" The Standing Bear Intertribal Brotherhood drum circle
• Benediction: Rev. Richard Souter
• Conclusion and dismissal: Chris Bowers

Orange carnations will be available throughout the ceremony in recognition of those exposed to Agent Orange during military service. The Standing Bear Intertribal Brotherhood drum circle will also perform as guests arrive and depart.

Washburn University is home to five veteran memorials, including the Memorial Plaza behind Morgan Hall, which was dedicated in 2023. The memorial honors all six branches of the U.S. military and the many nurses who have served. Washburn is designated a Military Friendly School and, in 2017, became the first Purple Heart University in Kansas. The designation was granted by the Military Order of the Purple Heart, an organization chartered by Congress in 1958 to recognize men and women who received the Purple Heart Medal for wounds suffered in combat.

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