NOV. 6 — NOV. 12, 2014 VETERANS DAY ISSUE

STUDENTSOLDIERS

Student Soldiers Issue

newsrecord.org/for_the_record

November 6, 2014

2

MANAGING EDITORBecky Butts @Rebelee_92

I would like to thank my big brother, Joseph Butts, and my dad, Bill Butts for their service. My dad was in the Air Force and my brother was in the Army, he went to Afghanistan twice. I would also like to thank every veteran on UC’s campus — faculty, staff and students. Thank you for your service, for your time, for your sacrifice. Have a Happy Veterans Day on Tuesday.

COLLEGE LIFE EDITOREmily Begley @egbegley

I don’t personally know anyone who has served, but I am so grateful to all of the men and women who fight for this country. It takes an incredible amount of bravery and ambition to accomplish what they have done and continue to do every day.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEFElizabeth DePompei @edepompei

NEWS EDITORNatalie Coleman @_nataliecoleman

My brother. Not only am I grateful for his service in the U.S. Army, I’m grateful for his example. He is the most hardworking, disciplined and intelligent person I know. I often catch myself complaining to him until I remember how much he sacrifices on a daily basis (but he’ll listen to my whining anyway). So for all that, big

brother, thank you.

I do not know a veteran personally, aside from my grandfather who has passed, but I would like to thank my father who spends his time traveling across the world to military bases to speak to soldiers and veterans about relationships and what it’s like to come home from war. He helps people every day stay happy. His speeches have

helped countless soldiers maintain healthy relationships.

ASK THE EDITORS Who would you like to thank for their service?

Veterans Day Event Calendar

MO

ND

AY,

NO

V. 1

0

TUE

SDA

Y, N

OV.

11

WE

DN

ESD

AY,

NO

V. 1

2

THU

RSD

AY,

NO

V. 1

3

FRID

AY,

NO

V. 1

4

9 a.m.

VETERAN’S DAY CEREMONY

McMicken Commons

VETERANS DAY

University not in session

11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

VETSUCCESS WORKSHOP

TUC 425

2 p.m.-5 p.m.

5/3 BANK EMPOWER U

TUC 415A

1-3 p.m.

5/3 BANK EMPOWER U

TUC 415A

7 p.m.

UC VETERAN’S GAME VS EAST

CAROLINA

Paul Brown Stadium

3-5 p.m.

WYSH PROJECT: ANDREW O’BRIEN

TUC 220

Non-profit supplies one-time grants, brings performances to help ease trauma ZACK HATFIELD | ARTS EDITOR

While enrolled at University of Cincinnati for communications in 2010, Staff Sgt. Buck Clay found himself in a jam after his car broke down.

A full-time student and commuter from Mt. Lookout, Clay couldn’t afford to pay the enormous price for auto repairs. Enter Heroes’ Fund, a non-profit program that gives a one-time grant to veterans or active duty military who have served in combat zones.

This means that although the organization cannot help with ongoing problems, like struggling to pay rent, it can help veterans financially with a problem like a late mortgage payment, overdue utility bills or house repairs.

Prerequisites for applying for the grant include serving honorably in a combat zone and having the proper documentation.

Just as Clay began worrying that he would have to drop out of college because of his broken car, the organization paid around $5,000 to help solve the dilemma, just two weeks after he had applied for the grant. The program also gifted Clay with a $250 gift card to Kroger.

Clay urges veterans at UC to consider Heroes’ Fund as a way to transition without

friction to civilian life. “Student veterans should look at them as an

avenue if they’re having a legitimate issue and they need funds. It’s a one-time fund and you don’t have to pay it back,” Clay said.

Clay founded UC’s chapter of Omega Delta Sigma — a national veterans fraternity — during his time at UC, and graduated in April.

Heroes’ Fund is relatively new, founded in 2007. The money given is raised through an annual fundraising dinner event, where philanthropists and donors contribute.

This year, the fundraiser will take place at the Marriott Cincinnati North on Nov. 15.

Heroes’ Fund is a resource in Cincinnati that many veterans don’t know about, but the organization is trying to change that.

On Nov. 13 and 14, Heroes’ Fund will sponsor “A WWII Warrior’s Story,” a free performance from Ponder Anew, a husband-wife duo consisting of Carol Ponder and Robert Kiefer.

The performance, part theater and part music, is adapted from the memoirs of Ponder’s father, and will be held at Prince of Peach Church on Race St.

One of the show’s goals is to open a dialogue with veterans to share their own stories and deal with post-traumatic stress disorder. Following the performance, a writing workshop hosted by both Ponder and Kiefer will engage participants in creating poetry and other written forms to not only help veterans cope with PTSD, but to also help

other audience members grasp the effects of war and combat.

The music in the production combines songs from the time of World War II with Appalachian ballads.

Ponder Anew believes that theater and music communicate ideas on a different level than simply speaking about certain topics. “Music is a direct path to somebody’s heart,” Kiefer said. “A beautiful song or words that are well spoken will get someone’s attention in a way a lot of other things won’t.”

Ponder Anew said that it has been amazed by the amount of emotional healing it has been able to do with storytelling.

“We did a show Monday morning, and afterwards a young man stayed seated but pointed to his heart and said ‘You opened up something up in me that I didn’t even know was there,’” Ponder said.

Although Ponder and Kiefer have performed together for over 40 years, the writing workshop aspect is relatively new, and its cathartic ability is the primary focus. “Journaling is becoming one of the most powerful means of therapy,” Kiefer said. “The minute someone begins to talk about something or write about it, at that moment they can begin to heal.”

Laure Quinlivan, a former member of

Cincinnati City Council and current board member for Heroes’ Fund, met the members of Ponder Anew when she was a reporter in Nashville, and was instrumental in bringing the band to Cincinnati.

“The fact that they do this workshop following this performance is really different,” Quinlivan said. “This doesn’t usually happen in theater, that people actually engage with you and share memories.”

This is the first time Heroes’ Fund has sponsored an artistic performance to help veterans.

“This is something brand new for us,” Quinlivan said. “We wanted this year to do more than just have our annual fundraiser to helps vets. [Carol and Robert] designed their show for veterans to help veterans heal.

“Thirty percent of all veterans suffer from PTSD, and 80 percent of all Americans suffer from it at some point in their lives. So we got this idea—wouldn’t it be awesome to sponsor a couple of free performances for veterans and the public to get people talking about PTSD?”

Quinlivan said that one reason she was drawn to the program was because her own father served in the Korean war, and that this was her way of honoring him.

Clay acknowledges the help Heroes’ Fund offered him in a time of need, and recommends other students learn more about it through Omega Delta Sigma or the Veterans Programs and Services at UC. He stresses especially the importance of the charity to those who require sudden financial assistance and have nowhere else to turn.

For more information on Heroes’ Fund, visit http://www.wclfoundation.com/heroes.asp.

Student Soldiers Issue

3newsrecord.org/for_the_record

November 6, 2014

PROVIDED/HEROES’ FUND

Lt. Herschel Ponder, the father of Carol Ponder and a fighter pilot during World War II, wrote the memoir that served as inspiration for the show coming to Cincinnati on Nov. 13.

Heroes’ Fund helps veterans acclimate to civilian life

“We did a show Monday morning, and afterwards a young man stayed seated and said ‘You opened up something in me I didn’t even know was there.’ ”

PROVIDED/HEROES’ FUND

Carol Ponder and Robert Kiefer utilize a variety of media to help heal veterans and help others understand more about PTSD. Theater, music and creative writing are all involved in “A WWII Warrior’s Story.”

Carol Ponder, member of Ponder Anew

newsrecord.org/for_the_record4

University’s ROTC program prepares students to become officers while teaching leadership rolesEMILY BEGLEY | COLLEGE LIFE EDITOR

Before the sun begins to rise over Sheakley Lawn, dozens of men and women are already awake. They stand in clusters until a voice rings out over the grass and calls them to attention.

Then, they stand in rows and march off into the distance. These are the men and women of the University of

Cincinnati’s Reserve Officers’ Training Course, a national program that has produced more than half a million lieutenants for the United States Army.

The primary purpose of the university’s ROTC program is to produce army officers, but participating in the program is not the same as joining the army.

“After graduation I plan on joining the Ohio National Guard and then working with FedEx as well, both in a logistics role,” said Zac Cook, a fourth-year operations management student. “I became involved in ROTC because I knew I wanted to go to college but also serve the military at the same time.”

Students who enroll in the ROTC Basic Course during their first two years of college are not obligated to serve unless they have received a scholarship, according to the university.

Two, three and four-year scholarships are awarded, and all

scholarships pay full fees in addition to providing a separate allowance for books and a monthly stipend of up to $5,000 per year.

But students who choose to complete the ROTC program in its entirety are required to make a commitment to serve as an officer in the army.

This is also true of any student who receives a scholarship, which requires them to serve for at least four years. Enrollment in the ROTC Advance Course requires service for three years.

Every student who graduates and completes ROTC training at the university is commissioned as Second Lieutenants in the U.S. Army, according to ROTC, and cadets are not employed during their college careers.

“I joined ROTC because I was on the path to become an officer to serve my country, and I wanted to serve in the United States military as a second lieutenant and officer,” said Teddy Mayer, a second-year information systems student. “My family’s done it, and also, I want to give back to my country. Also, I want to make sure it’s there for the future as well.”

Participation in the program is compatible with nearly all academic studies, although some are preferred over others.

“We’re looking for STEM majors,” said John Tylor, major and assistant professor of military science. “Those are a preference, and if we could get those, that’s what we’d like to have. That’s not to say that we don’t accept others, but if there’s a choice, that’s what we’re looking for.”

ROTC classes typically consist of one elective and one lab

each semester. Classes incorporate hands-on fieldwork in addition to traditional written class work and reading.

Whether or not a student chooses to make a career out of the program is irrelevant to the benefits ROTC provides.

“The program is a leadership development course,” Tylor explained, adding that it helps them become good citizens and students. “It’s one of those things that can benefit you whether you’re going to be there or not as a career.”

The acquisition of leadership skills is a predominant focus of the ROTC program, and courses strive to assist students with personal and academic decision-making both during and beyond their college careers.

“The ROTC program in general focuses on college students, and what it focuses on is developing the leadership and skills of a lot of the college students to become army officers,” said active army Lt. Col. Jason Bender, who is also an assistant professor of military science.

Approximately 150 students are currently enrolled in UC’s program, according to Tylor.

Founded in 1916, the ROTC now produces 75 percent of all army officers, according to the program.

Bender spoke of the influence of the program, regardless of the path students take after graduation. After four years or 20 years — the amount of time Bender has personally served — the lessons learned in the ROTC program remain with students.

Pick up The News Record next week for coverage of Veterans Day events on campus.

Student Soldiers Issue November 6, 2014

Student soldiers in training learn universal lessons

PROVIDED/UC ROTC

Members of the Pershing Rifles, also known as the canon crew, perform at a University of Cincinnati football game. The group is one or four clubs offered by the ROTC.

5newsrecord.org/for_the_record

Student Soldiers Issue November 6, 2014

THIS

WEE

K IN

ATHL

ETIC

SST

UDEN

TS G

ET IN

FREE

WITH

STU

DENT

ID

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7TH

KENTUCKY WESLEYAN VS. CINCINNATIWOMEN’S BASKETBALL - 7PM

*LAUREN HILL WILL BE SPEAKING AT HALFTIME!

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8TH FAIRMONT STATE VS. CINCINNATIFAIRMONT STATE VS. CINCINNATI

MEN’S BASKETBALL - 2PM

STUDENT TICKETS FOR THE FOOTBALL GAME AGAINST ECU ARE AVAILABLE NOW

ONLINE OR AT THE UC TICKET OFFICE!

TNR sports reporter recalls time serving in Air ForceIt’s difficult to look back on six years

without wondering where it went and how it got there so fast.

I’m a veteran. I belonged to the United States Air Force — the world’s greatest air force — for six years. I joined in the summer of 2008 out of Kansas City, Missouri — my father dropped me off at the hotel by the Military Entry Processing Station. That was the last time I would see any member of my family for six and a half weeks – the longest six and a half weeks of my life.

Basic military training was an experience that has no rival outside of other military training programs and is also one of the more difficult experiences to describe. It feels like a blur to me now — an instant in time.

Retrospect can be a weird thing. To me, it is the comfort of time which allows you to look back on moments throughout your life with a serene sense of clarity. I was a member of the USAF’s military police specialty, known lovingly as the Security Forces. There were plenty of people telling

me not to join Security Forces when I said it was the career path I was looking at. Today, that is a warning I echo, but not for anything severe or dangerous, but just so people can better spend their time in the USAF learning skills that can actually translate to the civilian world in the event they decide that the military isn’t for them, much like myself.

I was told I would have opportunities to travel the world, and I have to say they weren’t lying, but they should be a little more accurate with the locales they are selling. In the fall of 2009, I left for Afghanistan where I spent six months hanging out in the mountains watching a fence line for any wrongdoing or mischief by the local populace … or worse.

The experience was mostly uneventful, outside of the daily mortars fired around the base by whoever decided they didn’t like Americans that day, but their accuracy was nearly nonexistent and few lives were ever truly at risk.

In 2011, the Security Forces unit I was with was one of the last units left in Iraq as we transitioned Joint Base Balad over to the Iraqi government. Balad was notorious

for being a dangerous place, but at that time, the country was calming down. I mean, now we know they were basically just waiting for us to leave.

I made brief stops during these deployments in Portugal, Ireland, Qatar, Kazakhstan and Kuwait. I had the pleasure of experiencing some of the extremes in climate and scenery that this world has to offer.

In June, I started my terminal leave from the USAF and returned from a year in South Korea, which is a fantastic place full of interesting and genuinely nice people. I didn’t enjoy it as much as I should have, as I spent a lot of time counting the days until I could come home.

It can be difficult to appreciate it while you’re here, but there really is no place like the United States of America. You especially miss the fresh air.

Veterans are part of a very special group. Less than 1 percent of the population of the U.S. enlists in the military. There are veterans who have been injured or who have died while in the service of this country and that alone makes me wonder if I deserve to be a part of it. There are times

when I’ve been thanked for my service, but I don’t feel worthy of their thanks, not when others have sacrificed far more than I have.

Now, I’m here. I’m taking classes at the University of Cincinnati, pursuing my dreams and trying to make a career doing something that I love. I have my G.I. Bill to thank for making this possible, because I’m wholly confident that student loans are ridiculous.

I can now look back on my military career and appreciate all of the growing up that it helped me do. I wouldn’t be who I am, where I am or what I am had I not joined the military. I can absolutely say that, if I had to make the decision all over again, I would enlist without a doubt. I’m proud to have done what I was able to do to help this country and the people in it.

Veterans everywhere should be proud of what they’ve done, because they’re the ones who stepped up when no one else would. If you’ve ever been on the fence about whether or not you should join, then I highly encourage you to, because there can never be enough veterans. Just choose something other than Security Forces.

CLAUDE THOMPSON | STAFF REPORTER

newsrecord.org/for_the_record6

“Ever since I was a kid I wanted to join the military,” said Alec Bullard, a second-year biology student. “My dad sat me down because he was in the marines, and he’s like, ‘You will never go enlisted; you have to be an officer.’ So I was like, ‘OK.’ I always just wanted to serve, so I thought if I wasn’t going to do it then who was? I mean just throughout history, countries that aren’t prepared to defend what they stand for kind of disappear, so ensuring the United States just hangs on … just trying to make the best country you can.”

I’m a second-year, a cadet,” said Corey Smith, a political science student. “[Cadets are] here pretty much training to become officers. As we graduate we’ll commission in as officers. [I joined ROTC] for the experience. It’s pretty much what I wanted to do to help my career for both in the military and out. [Serving in the military is about] pretty much giving back, that’s the best way I can put it: helping out, being productive, doing something for your country."

“I’m a cadet,” said Chase McCreary, a second-year education student. “I try to help out in volunteer opportunities, such as recruitment. I’ve been a team leader for my squad just helping out; whatever the squad leader asks me to do I just try to get it done. I [joined ROTC] mostly to give back. I’ve had cousins that have been in the military, and they’ve told me what a great experience it is. It’s just something I want to do to make sure future generations might not have to be in war.”

“I’m just learning basic training to be a leader right now,” said Kyle Chesney, a second-year, criminal justice student. “I’ll be a second lieutenant once I commission and graduate college. I think [serving in the military] means a lot. I think it’s the right thing to do because America has given us this opportunity to [have] freedom. I think the way to give back is to make sure I can guarantee that freedom for other people.”

“I wanted to enlist originally, but [my dad] kind of convinced me otherwise,” said Devan Oliphant, a fifth-year mechanical engineering student. “The officer role was a lot easier to transition from going to school and in the military. Also, I like being a leader. Honestly it means to be able to protect everybody that you care about, that’s really where it comes into play with me. I have eight brothers and sisters, so for me, being the oldest male in the family, I kind of look over all my siblings. I have a feeling of protection for the people I care about.”

“Officers and enlisted are a lot different, because officers make the plans and enlisted execute them,” said Kelsey Rettig, a fifth-year psychology student. “I felt because of the type of person I am, the officer side kind of fit me better. To serve my country, it’s giving back. I know that when I pass away that I want to feel like, even if it’s the littlest thing, I want to affect somebody. I want to do something bigger than myself, and I felt like the military was a really good opportunity to be able to do that.”

“I’m a cadet,” said Josh Evers, a second-year economics student. “[Cadets] are all training to be a second lieutenant in the military, so in four years we will all commission and be in the United States Army. It’s a big family thing for my family. I have a long military history and lineage dating really far back, so it’s kind of continuing the tradition. It’s about serving and giving back to the people who came before us and the people that can’t stand up for themselves.”

“I chose to do ROTC because I wanted to be the best I could be, and for a nurse that means joining the military,” said Jeff Maler, a third-year nursing student. “There’s no better experience that a nurse can accomplish in their career than being in the military, especially because I want to do critical care ER so that perfectly aligns with what I want to do in the military ... also as a nurse, giving back to the people who deserve it ... just to be able to give back to them to me is the best thing I’m able to do: to give back to my country.”

PHOTOS BY MADISON SCHMIDT | PHOTO EDITOR

Student Soldiers Issue November 6, 2014

Word on the Street: Why ROTC students choose to serve US

BECKY BUTTS | MANAGING EDITOR

In January, non-traditional students founded an award-winning non-traditional fraternity — the first of its kind on University of Cincinnati’s campus, and the only one of its kind in Ohio.

Omega Delta Sigma is a national veterans fraternity. Anthony Louderback, president and organizational leadership student, and Buck Clay, founding president, brought a chapter of the fraternity to UC with help from Gail Stocker, a program director in the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences.

“I wanted to build a connection to integrate all of the services for veterans so that they would have the proper support and direction,” Stocker said.

There are more than 1,300 student veterans enrolled on campus, according to Stocker. Stocker and Clay brought Omega Delta Sigma to UC in an effort to build a community and support system for those veterans.

“They didn’t really have that social life like others normally have in college,” Stocker said. “They are non-traditional students, they have families and one or two jobs and they are coming from a different experience — coming into college not as the normal 18-year-old, but after 5 years [of serving]. I wanted to introduce them to each other so they could build the bond and brotherhood they normally have as veterans.”

After a semester of planning, the fraternity was officially chartered in January with 10 members: nine men and one woman. Currently, the fraternity has 25 official members and seven pledges scheduled for initiation in December.

“We are a leadership fraternity — a different type of fraternity,” Stocker said. “These are leaders in and out of the classroom, who have given so much and also have that community with each other.”

Less than 12 months after its official charter, the UC chapter of Omega Delta Sigma won four of eight awards at the fraternity’s national convention in San Antonio, Texas, in August, including the True Chapter Award — a top honor given by the convention.

Stocker, who serves as the organization’s adviser, won the Outstanding Advisor award for her dedication to duty, but she is quick to shine the spotlight back on the veterans.

“They have given so much, and the way they work together with everything … every project we’ve ever done, I know that I can count on them no matter what,” Stocker said.

Louderback credits Stocker for keeping him in school and getting him involved with UC’s veteran community.

Louderback enrolled at UC in 2004, but put his education on hold in 2005, 2008 and 2010

because of military deployments with the U.S. National Guard. He plans to graduate in August. After serving in Afghanistan, he returned to campus in 2011 and almost left again soon after with a military contract. Stocker convinced him to stay after he joined the Veterans Affairs Office as a student worker.

“My transition back … parts of it were good and parts of it were bad. That’s how it goes,” Louderback said. “But I had a pretty good support network. Once you start being able to set your schedule and what your day-to-day goal is, it’s a lot easier to work with than just like ‘hey, I got up today, what the hell am I going to do now?’ ”

Louderback said one difficulty of transitioning back is the downtime and going from a very structured, busy schedule to civilian life. Omega Delta Sigma strives to provide its members with structure and service initiatives.

The fraternity is very involved in the community, initiating service projects to support veterans across Cincinnati. Some examples of outreach initiatives include workshops for veterans in resume writing, mentoring cub scout troops, supporting hospitalized veterans and attending the

signing of House Bill 488, which improves veteran access to higher education and jobs.

On Oct. 29, the organization hosted a Care Card event at the Tangeman University Center where members set up a table and encouraged students to write and design cards for veterans living in a Georgetown nursing home. They made more than 100 cards, according to member Abigail Duncan, who works in the UC Veterans Programs and Services office.

Duncan was the first female member of the fraternity, and the only one for an entire semester. She served in the National Guard for five years, joining right out of high school.

“The fraternity provides a great outlet to talk about what we’ve been through and what we’ve seen,” Duncan said. “We have so many shared experiences even though we have served in different parts of the world.”

Omega Delta Sigma not only focuses on veteran services and community outreach, but also building a support group for student veterans and striving to give them a normal college experience. Veterans have a transition to make when returning home from service — a transition that some struggle with.

The UC chapter of the fraternity pushes its members to attend social outings that help solidify their bond and integrate them back into civilian life.

They go out to dinner, walk in UC’s Homecoming parade and attend sporting events.

“You still don’t like large groups of people or uncontrolled environments, but if there is a group of you going then you know that there is more than one set of eyes watching out, so you can do that kind of stuff and it’s a lot less stressful,” Louderback said.

Members include young and old, women and men, and those who have served in the U.S. Air Force, National Guard, Army and Marines. Most are post-9/11 veterans, according to Stocker.

“Our veterans are very busy,” Stocker said. “They want to be part of a community but they have a lot of responsibilities. The bar is pretty high for them. They are over-achievers both in and out of the classroom.”

This may be displayed best with Omega Delta Sigma pledge Jonathan Newmark. Newmark studied at Harvard College, where he graduated magna cum laude, and received his M.D. from Columbia University before joining the U.S. Army Medical Corps. He is now working toward his master’s in music composition at the College Conservatory of Music and just accepted a neurological attending position with UC Medical.

Newmark, 61, is a 24-year veteran. He retired from the U.S. Army Medical Corps as Colonel in November 2013, and returned to school in January.

On Monday night, he attended Omega Delta Sigma’s chapter meeting.

On Tuesday night, he performed on stage at the Patricia Corbet Theatre with other students in the composition department. Newmark played an original composition on the piano.

He is the oldest member of the fraternity, and has contagious energy and passion. You may see him working out three times a week with UC’s ROTC in the wee hours of morning.

“They aren’t really my contemporaries, but I’m more like these kids than a lot of other people here,” Newmark said.

That seems to be a common theme throughout this rare fraternity. They vary in age, in demographics, and in time of service, but they unite in community leadership. Members have served all around the world, but have found a home in the support and friendship they offer each other.

“They don’t like attention brought to them, they are very humble,” Stocker said. “They don’t like me to call them heroes, but they are, they are.”

7newsrecord.org/for_the_record

UC’s first veterans co-ed fraternity builds brotherhood

PROVIDED

Charter members of the Omega Delta Sigma veterans fraternity enjoy a sunny day during the organization’s first semester at UC.

Student Soldiers Issue November 6, 2014

newsrecord.org/for_the_record8

Student Soldiers Issue November 6, 2014

FERNANDA CRESCENTE | STAFF REPORTER

The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County will hold its 60th Veterans Day celebration Tuesday at 10:45 a.m. in the Main Library’s Reading Garden Lounge with speakers, special guests and military-related exhibits.

Rep. Brad Wenstrup, an army lieutenant colonel and physician, is scheduled to speak at the event. Wenstrup started serving as podiatrist, chief of surgery and director of the Wound Care Clinic, a long-term acute care program with UC Health, after he was called to active duty in 2005 and served in Abu Ghraib, Iraq.

“Veterans Day holds a special meaning for the Main Library,” said Kate Lawrence, the adult services, programing and exhibits manager at the library. “And each year, the library holds a Veterans Day Commemoration to remember the immeasurable debt that we owe our veterans.”

The program, which is funded by the Friends of the Public Library and the Library Programs Fund, will also include music by the Cincinnati Symphony

Orchestra’s Bass Trio, the lighting of the Flame of Remembrance and a presentation of a memorial wreath.

Around 300 peopled have attended the commemoration in the past, Lawrence said.

Two military exhibits will also complement the event. “Mail Call,” an exhibition organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, explores the evolution of military mail and communication. It will be on display from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. between Nov. 8 – Jan. 18 in the Main Library’s atrium.

“Serving with Honor: The Queen City’s Veterans” will expose personal objects such as letters, uniforms and medals from veterans who participated in wars including the Civil War and the Vietnam War. This exposition will be available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday in the Joseph S. Stern, Jr. Cincinnati Room.

Visitors who wish to go deeper into history can also visit the History Project kiosk,

available all year at the Main Library’s atrium. There, visitors can access interviews, photos and documents.

At the 59th Annual Veterans Day Commemoration, war veteran Robert Stachler participated as the keynote speaker.

Stachler contributed to the History Project

by providing the organization with pictures as well as some of his memories.

Last year also included a Veterans Day exhibit commemorating the 100th anniversary of World War I, as well as patriotic music performed by Brass Without Borders, a quintet from the College-Conservatory of Music.

Public library to hold 60th Veterans Day commemoration

PROVIDED /PUBLIC LIBRARY OF CINCINNATI AND HAMILTON COUNTY

Robert Stachler, Korean War veteran and keynote speaker, addresses audiences at last year’s event.