CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Supporting the men and women who have fought and died for our country and honoring those that are still with us will be the focus of a Veterans Day event held at Concord University Friday morning.
The Concord University Veterans Association will host a special ceremony to honor local veterans beginning at 9 a.m. at the Wilkes Family Chapel in University Point in Athens.
Steven Kennedy, a Concord Veterans Advocate, will be one of the main speakers.
“I’m just going to highlight what it takes to make those sacrifices and the strength that it takes to leave your home and your family to go and fight for your country. Being in that position, it’s overwhelming,” Kennedy told MetroNews.
Friday’s event will include a reading of the veterans who’ve died.
“This year, we’re doing something a little different. We’re only running the names of the veterans from West Virginia. In previous years, we’ve read the full list, but the list has gotten so big,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy is a member of the U.S. Army Reserve. He said he encourages Americans to thank a vet on Veterans Day this Saturday.
“I really think people should just take a moment out of their day every day, not just on 9/11 or Veterans Day, Memorial Day. I think they should take a moment out of every day just to be thankful that we are free in this country,” he said.
There are more than 170,000 Veterans in West Virginia.