Dear College of Science Faculty and Staff,
Walking by Curry last week, I was thrilled to see Cooper and his handler NUPD Officer Rachel Joliffe coming towards me. As you likely know, Cooper is a magnificent golden retriever who nonchalantly accepts the love of hundreds of Northeastern students, faculty and staff every day. There’s something about a sweet dog that gets deep into the soul and comforts. As we approach Veterans Day this year, which has the theme of Honor, we acknowledge the terrible aftermath of combat on our troops. Service dogs can be enormously helpful for veterans, although the funding to train these dogs has not yet been approved at the federal level.
Veterans Day acknowledges each person who has served in the United States Armed Forces, and while its history is complex, the holiday now honors all Veterans, and the spelling with no apostrophe designates that the day belongs to all Veterans. A new memorial in Buffalo for African-American veterans of twelve US wars has recently opened, honoring the contributions of African-Americans in all six branches of the military. As we celebrate veterans, it’s important to acknowledge the ongoing systemic racism that has been responsible for inequitable and disrespectful treatment of Black service members and other veterans of color.
Northeastern will honor its students, alumni, faculty, and staff who served in the armed forces on Veterans Day Friday, Nov 11, at 2pm. Please join the Dolce Center for the Advancement of Veterans and Service members, Northeastern’s Student Veterans Organization, and Liberty Battalion ROTC for this year’s ceremony on the Boston campus, at the Northeastern University Veterans Memorial on Neal F. Finnegan Plaza. This event will also be live streamed on the University’s Facebook page.
Finally, Randall Hughes pointed out to me this interesting memorial in a town in Arizona, which is oriented in such a way that the sun shines through it at 11:11 on Veterans Day.
The Weekly takes a break on Nov 11 in observance of Veterans Day, and will return on Nov 18.