The University of Arkansas at Little Rock held its annual Veterans Day Ceremony Tuesday morning, honoring veterans and military service members.
The ceremony took place at the auditorium of the Charles W. Donaldson Student Success Center. Due to the government shutdown, most of the elements usually included in their ceremony were not present, but the spirit of gratitude and respect for those who served remained at the heart of the event.
Col. Erin B. Burns, commander of the 189th Mission Support Group at the Little Rock Air Force Base, served as the guest speaker. An alum of the UA Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law, Burns has been involved in two deployments to Afghanistan and one to the United Arab Emirates.
Burns emphasized that recognition needs to not only go to service members, but to their family members as well.
“Those of us who have worn the uniform know that our families sacrifice as much as we do right along with us,” Burns said. “It’s a tremendous amount of sacrifice that they go through as well. Just, you know, missing first steps, birthdays, graduations, and all the things we sometimes have to miss to get the mission done.”
Throughout his speech, Burns discussed how education has become a defining strength of today’s armed forces.
“We are the most educated military in the world, and that matters. Being smarter than our enemies is a deterrent factor. That’s the power of education and training. It makes us better every day.”