By Will Underhill
National honor society Phi Theta Kappa was among the many groups honoring veterans for their service to the country on Veterans Day.
“We may not agree with the politics of the war, but we must support the veterans and the families left behind,” said Sylvia Sanchez, director for Veterans of Foreign Wars. “For Vietnam veterans, there was no welcome home.”
Sanchez, who shared a birthday with the Nov. 9 observation, is the director of Veterans of Foreign Wars posts in Bexar, Atascosa and Wilson counties.
She spoke at the presentation in the visual arts center on the significance of Veterans Day and why it’s important to celebrate, honor and commemorate the men and women who served and died.
The event was organized by Tony Tano, scholarship officer of Phi Theta Kappa, who served in the 173rd Airborne Brigade.
Tano created a video presentation as a tribute to fallen soldiers.
After Tano delivered a brief history of the commemoration, Bill Richardson, interim dean of arts and sciences, who also served in the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Vietnam, offered welcoming remarks.
Both students and veterans attended the event.
Among the veterans at the observation was Daniel Simpson, who enlisted in August 2000. He was in the 3rd Ranger Battalion and served in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was a paratrooper and parajumped into Iraq under anti-aircraft fire.
Another veteran in the audience was 81-year-old Vincent Guzman, who served in World War II, and is Tano’s grandfather.
“Just remember all veterans,” Guzman said.