Ithaca College will pay respects to past and present members of the U.S. armed services at the 16th annual Veterans Day Celebration, scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 8. Free and open to the public, the program will begin at noon in Ford Hall of the James J. Whalen Center for Music.
Serving as master of ceremonies will be professor emeritus Art Ostrander, retired dean of the School of Music. The celebration will feature a presentation of the colors by the Tri-Service Color Guard and music by the Ithaca College Brass Choir.
The keynote address will be delivered by United States Marine Corps veteran Blake B. Allen, a graduate of Newfield High School. Allen enlisted at the age of 17, and after boot camp and infantry training he was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 7th Marines. His first deployment was with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, a rapid response force that patrols the Pacific Ocean. His second deployment was to Sangin, Afghanistan, where he partnered with the Afghan National Army to fight the Taliban. He currently works at Boltworks Tactical Firearms in Dryden.
The celebration is sponsored by the Ithaca College Veterans Day Committee. For more information, visit www.ithaca.edu/veterans.