Members of the UMSL Army ROTC program raise the American flag outside Woods Hall Thursday as UMSL observes Veterans Day. (Photos by August Jennewein)
More than two dozen people gathered outside Woods Hall Thursday morning as the University of Missouri–St. Louis began its observance of Veterans Day.
Student veteran and music major Krishaun Dotson-Orange blows into his trumpet Thursday morning outside Woods Hall.
Josh Evans, the coordinator of the UMSL Veterans Center, welcomed the assembled crowd and introduced student veteran and music major Krishaun Dotson-Orange, who played “Reveille” and “To the Color” on his trumpet as a color guard from UMSL’s Army ROTC program raised the American flag.
Members of the Veterans Center staff and students later spent time in the Quad Thursday morning serving coffee and hot cocoa to members of the campus community, and they hosted an open house in the center with light refreshments, provided by student veteran alumni, on Thursday afternoon.
UMSL is home to approximately 400 student veterans and other military-connected students, including some children and spouses of veterans receiving G.I. Bill benefits.
Earlier this year, Military Times ranked UMSL first in Missouri and No. 37 nationally on its annual “Best for Vets: Colleges” list. It marked the seventh consecutive year that UMSL ranked in the top 50 nationally for its support of student veterans and other military-connected students, helping them with their transition from service as they pursue their educational goals.
Watch and listen to Dotson-Orange performing during the flag raising ceremony Thursday morning:
