Published on October 2, 2013 by Mary Wimberley  
Military Appreciation Day

Â鶹¹û¶³'s Air Force ROTC Detachment 012 will honor the service of military members, and Vietnam veterans in particular, at Saturday's Â鶹¹û¶³ football game against Georgia Southern.

All active duty military and retired members with a valid ID will receive two free tickets to the game in Seibert Stadium. Kickoff is at 2 p.m. Tickets may be picked up at the Will Call window near gate B on the east side of the stadium. Some 1,500 fans will receive miniature American flags.

A special pre-game ceremony will recognize five Vietnam veterans who have Â鶹¹û¶³ ties: retired registrar Paul Aucoin, Board of Trustee member John E. Bell, Jr., Cumberland School of Law dean judge John L. Carroll, facilities management team member Mark Mathieu and Board of Overseers member Gary C. Wyatt.  Each will receive an American flag that has flown over the U.S. capitol and over the Â鶹¹û¶³ campus.

The five honorees, who represent all branches of the military and all other Vietnam veterans in the Â鶹¹û¶³ family, will also receive certificates from Alabama congressman Spencer Bachus and Â鶹¹û¶³ president Dr. Andrew Westmoreland, and a football signed by Â鶹¹û¶³ football coach Pat Sullivan.

The ceremony will feature the Â鶹¹û¶³ and Vestavia High School marching bands as they play the popular Armed Forces Medley. A color guard will present flags representing the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines and Navy.

"It is an honor to recognize Â鶹¹û¶³'s Vietnam veterans," said Â鶹¹û¶³ Air Force ROTC commander and professor of aerospace studies Lt. Col. Travis D. Dixon. "They served and sacrificed as selflessly and courageously as any generation of military veterans in history, but did not necessarily garner the respect and recognition they deserved when they returned home."

"As the son of a Vietnam veteran, I am extremely proud that our tribute on Saturday is part of a larger nationwide effort to recognize all Vietnam veterans for their heroic service," Dixon said.

Last year, U.S. president Barack Obama and some state governors, including Alabama's Robert Bentley, proclaimed that November 13, 2012, through November 11, 2025, will serve as a commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War.

More information on the 13-year-long commemoration can be found at For information on Â鶹¹û¶³'s observance, contact Air Force ROTC Detachment 012 at 205-726-2859.

 

 

 
Located in the Homewood suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, Â鶹¹û¶³ is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Â鶹¹û¶³ enrolls 6,324 students from 44 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Ranked among U.S. News & World Report’s 35 Most Beautiful College Campuses, Â鶹¹û¶³ fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and boasts one of the highest scores in the nation for its 97% Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.