Recognizing Veterans Day
TO: Engineering community
Today marks the 101st anniversary of the armistice signaling an end to the fighting of World War I (on the 11th month, on the 11th day, at the 11th hour), and it is fitting that we pause to recognize and thank all those who have served our country.
On Veterans Day, we especially want to salute our engineering faculty, staff, students and alumni who have served – and are still serving – in the armed forces. While we do not have official numbers for faculty and alumni veterans, among our current students we have 20 on active duty, 12 on active reserve, 14 in the National Guard and 43 veterans.
Thanks especially to Durham School associate professor Dr. Terry Stentz, retired captain in the U.S. Navy, who kindly reminded me of the opportunity to thank our military students and veterans.
During the week, we will be highlighting some of these individuals in our social media and online, including today’s story on 2018 ECE graduate Zachary Meade, a veteran of the Army and Nebraska Air National Guard, who is now attending the Carle Illinois College of Medicine. His inspiration to become a doctor came in part from his role as a bomb-disposal technician. He plans to continue with a career in the military after earning his M.D.
For those of you with military service or who have family in the service, thank you again for your sacrifices and dedication to protecting our freedoms. I encourage you to share your stories of your military background and connections with us, so we can continue to honor your activities.
Lance C. Pérez, Ph.D.
Dean, College of Engineering
Omar H. Heins Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering