Washburn University will Host 37th Annual Veterans Day Ceremony Nov. 11

Topeka, Kan. – Washburn University will present its 37^th annual Veterans Day ceremony at 11:11 a.m. Monday, Nov. 11, in the Bradbury Thompson Alumni Center. This event is free and the public is welcome.

Chris Bowers, military transitions coordinator for Washburn, will begin the ceremony by highlighting the significance of Veterans Day and the ways Washburn honors veterans before introducing Washburn President JuliAnn Mazachek, who will reflect on Washburn’s history of fostering a veteran-friendly environment.

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

This year’s keynote speaker Kris Ailslieger, retired United States Army colonel and political science adjunct at Washburn, will give a brief overview of past conflicts in the Middle East, share his personal experience in the military and as a veteran and emphasize the value of carrying on veterans’ stories.

Ailslieger said, "It's important that we remember and recognize veterans for their service and sacrifice to the country. Their courage, dedication and unwavering commitment to protecting our freedom deserves our gratitude and respect, not only on Veterans Day, but every day."

Program:

• Welcome: Chris Bowers, military transitions coordinator for Washburn
• Invocation/Blessing: Reverend Richard Souter, Pastor of the Grantville United Methodist Church

• Comments and Reflection: President JuliAnn Mazachek, Washburn
• Keynote Speaker: Kris Ailslieger, retired United States Army colonel and political science adjunct at Washburn

• Veterans Tribute: Chris Bowers
• Armed Forces Medley: Capital City Choir
• Benediction: Richard Souter
• Conclusion: Chris Bowers

As guests leave the ceremony, they will receive an orange carnation to acknowledge those who were exposed to the toxic substance Agent Orange during military service. The Standing Bear Intertribal Brotherhood drum circle will perform as guests arrive and depart the ceremony.

Washburn University is home to five veteran memorials, including the Memorial Plaza behind Morgan Hall, which was dedicated in 2023. The memorial honors the U.S. military’s six branches of service as well as the many nurses who have served. Further, Washburn is designated as a Military-Friendly School and became the first Purple Heart University in Kansas in 2017 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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