Veterans Week will begin Friday (Nov. 8) and end Nov. 16.
OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Mississippi will salute veterans with a full week of activities beginning Friday (Nov. 8) and continuing through Nov. 16.
More than 400 student veterans are enrolled at the university.
The celebration begins with the Ole Miss-Troy University men’s basketball game, set for 7:30 p.m. Friday at Tad Smith Coliseum. Veterans and military will be honored before and during the game. With proof of service, veterans get in free. Tickets are available through the Athletics Ticket Office at 662-915-7167. The Veterans Day ceremony begins at 4 p.m. Monday (Nov. 11) at Paris Yates Chapel, honoring America’s veterans for their patriotism, love of country and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good. Dr. Will Dabbs, an Oxford physician, will be the guest speaker. Dabbs is a 1989 graduate of the Ole Miss Army ROTC and 2005 graduate of the UM School of Medicine. He served as an active duty officer from 1989 to 1997.
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will be brought to life when “Letters Home” is performed at 7 p.m. Nov. 13 at the Ford Center. Each letter presents a different perspective on the experience of a military member serving overseas. Tickets are available at the box office and online http://www.fordcenter.org/ai1ec_event/letters-home-griffin-theatre/?instance_id=.
UM ROTC programs will conduct the annual chancellor’s review at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 14 in front of the Lyceum. A military pass in review is primarily used during change-of-command ceremonies, formal events bringing together large formations of troops and parades. It generally incorporates a senior officer or dignitary, in this case Chancellor Dan Jones, and allows them to see the troops under their command.
The pass in review has a long history in the military and at UM. The university’s ROTC program was established on March 11, 1936, and traces its history back to the University Grays, which was formed in 1861. The chancellor’s review has been conducted annually since the inception of the ROTC programs.
The week will close Nov. 16 with a veterans’ appreciation at the Ole Miss-Troy University football game. Ole Miss student veterans, local reservists and National Guardsmen will be honored on the field before and during the game. National Guardsmen will display a field-size American flag during the national anthem. Tickets are free for veterans and their families.
All events are open to the public and all area veterans are encouraged to attend.
A limited number of free tickets will be available for veterans, and will be given out on a first-come first-served basis.
Veterans can present a military I.D. or DD214 at the Tad Smith Coliseum ticket box office between 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. until Nov. 14, and receive four free tickets to the Ole Miss-Troy football game.
Veterans, who do not possess a military I.D., can provide proof of service at the UM ROTC office at Barnard Hall, and receive four free tickets.
Other proofs of service include: U.S. Uniform Services Retired Identification Card, Leave and Earnings Statement, Veterans Organization Card, photograph in uniform or wearing uniform, DD214, Citation or Commendation.
For more information regarding tickets, contact the Athletics Ticket Office at 662-915-7167, the UM Veteran’s and Military services office at 662-915-5021, or UM ROTC office at 662-915-7238.
For additional information on veterans week activities contact the university’s Veterans and Military Services office at 662-915-5021 or at umveterans@olemiss.edu.