Veteran's Day celebration begins at UTB-TSC

Less than a week after a shooting spree killed 12 soldiers and one civilian on a Texas army base, military personnel gathered at UTB-TSC to commemorate all soldiers who have put themselves in harm’s way. Today marks Veteran’s Day, and UTB-TSC began its 10

"We are compelled to never forget that when we enjoy our daily pleasures, there are others who endure suffering, pain and imprisonment," said Eloisa Tamez, a professor at The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College.

Tamez stood in front of a table with five settings and told the audience that the vacant chairs around the table symbolized the soldiers missing from homes across the Rio Grande Valley.

A 21-gun salute, a helicopter flyover, songs from the UTB-TSC Bravo Opera Company and the Homer Hanna Jive Choir gave the events a celebratory tone, even while speeches returned again to the theme of lives lost.

"Please bring healing to those traumatized by the ravages of war," said Robert Phaneuf, a counselor at the UTB-TSC Student Success Center, in an invocation. "Hear our cry. Hear our hearts. We pray in your name."

The Student-Veterans Upward Bound Program at UTB-TSC sponsored the event. This program provides veterans with support services and skills development to help them succeed in college.

Cameron County Judge Carlos Cascos said that he was glad the Upward Bound program was helping veterans but that more should be done to assist both these men and women and the families they leave behind.

"We celebrate veterans today and on Memorial Day," said Cascos, "but we should celebrate our veterans every day."

Two keynote speakers capped off the day’s events on Tuesday. Capt. Robert J. Paulison, the commander of the U.S. Coast Guard sector in Corpus Christi, and Maj. Gen. Jose S. Mayorga, the adjutant general for the Texas Military Forces, both offered their reflections on the history of veterans and the future.

Mayorga, a Brownsville native, attended Texas Southmost College in 1974.

"It’s an honor for me to come back," Mayorga said. "It’s great to get back to your roots. I never forget my roots."

Mayorga said that the events at Fort Hood made Veteran’s Day more pertinent than ever.

"It kind of brings it home," Mayorga said. "We’re a country and an army at war and you can’t tell that from going to the malls. It takes days like this to remember that we’re in a persistent conflict."