{"id":21059,"date":"2010-09-14T10:53:12","date_gmt":"2010-09-14T14:53:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=21059"},"modified":"2015-09-23T14:36:14","modified_gmt":"2015-09-23T18:36:14","slug":"veterans-recognized-at-rentschler","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2010\/09\/veterans-recognized-at-rentschler\/","title":{"rendered":"Veterans Recognized at Rentschler"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"<p>Lt.<\/a>
Lt. Col. Scott Fleeher, professor of military science, walks with his daughter Reileigh around the field at Rentschler Stadium, as current and former military were recognized. Photo by Peter Morenus.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One hundred fifty UConn alumni and other Connecticut residents who are veterans of the United States military were honored as part of last Saturday\u2019s sun-splashed 2010 season-opener at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, where the Huskies beat Texas Southern by a score of 62-3.<\/p>\n

Veterans from World War II through the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were celebrated during Military Appreciation Day on Sept. 11 with an Armed Forces Tailgate reception prior to the game. They were then honored at half-time.<\/p>\n

Members of the University\u2019s Air Force ROTC<\/a> and Army ROTC<\/a> Color Guards presented the flag prior to kick-off, and during half-time the veterans received cheers from the crowd as they walked around the perimeter of the stadium field.<\/p>\n

At the same time, the UConn Marching Band<\/a> performed renditions of each service song: \u201cThe Caisson Song\u201d for the U.S. Army; \u201cOff We Go Into the Wild Blue Yonder\u201d for the U.S. Air Force; \u201c Anchors Aweigh\u201d for the U.S. Navy; \u201cThe Marine Hymn \u201c for the U.S. Marines; and \u201cSemper Paratus” (“Always Ready\u201d) for the U.S. Coast Guard.<\/p>\n

\"<p>Major<\/a>
Major Glen Colby, recuiting and operations officer for UConn’s ROTC, offers high fives to fans during the recognition. Photo by Peter Morenus.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The event was suggested to the UConn Alumni Association<\/a> by two alumni, Lt. Don Coombs \u201989, U.S. Navy, and Lt. Col. John Healy \u201989, Air Force ROTC, who formed a friendship while they were roommates and together joined the ROTC program during their undergraduate years in Storrs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe decided since the football game fell on 9-11, that it would be a good date for the event,\u201d Coombs said. \u201cI enlisted in 1998, became an officer in 2001, and did a year of active duty after 9-11.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick Mango \u201953, a veteran of the Korean War who served in the Demilitarized Zone following the end of the combat years, agreed the recognition was appropriate and important for all military veterans.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s good timing with the 9-11 anniversary,\u201d he said. \u201cWe guys who went through the paces sometimes feel insufficient recognition \u2013 probably the Vietnam vets more than us. It\u2019s a tribute to vets, and we appreciate the recognition.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"<p>Chuck<\/a>
Chuck Morrell, right, associate director for operations at the Student Union, waves a flag at Rentschler Stadium. Morrell served in the U.S. Navy. Photo by Peter Morenus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Alumni Association began recognizing veterans by honoring those who died in war with the Ultimate Sacrifice Memorial, which was installed and dedicated on campus in 2008.<\/p>\n

Lisa Lewis, executive director of the UConn Alumni Association, said this year\u2019s event was a community effort, including Student Affairs, Athletics, the Connecticut National Guard, the ROTC, and corporate sponsors.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe range of our alumni and the experiences they have is very broad,\u201d she noted. \u201cWe also have more than 400 students on campus who are veterans. It\u2019s important to honor the veterans who are back with us.\u201d<\/p>\n

The link between military veterans and UConn athletics is historic, with many veterans having also worn the Husky uniform either before or after their service.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a particular affinity for the military,\u201d said Jeffrey Hathaway, director of athletics, who greeted veterans during the pre-game tailgate.<\/p>\n

\"<p>Ron<\/a>
Ron Bernard ’86, joins the procession on the field at half-time. Photo by Peter Morenus.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWhen we look at men and women who have a direct tie to our university, it makes it more special. You can\u2019t help but be touched by what they do and their love of their country.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hathaway noted that UConn\u2019s student-athletes gain a sense of their special service when representing the United States in international competition, as many have done in recent years in several sports, including baseball, basketball, field hockey, and soccer.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you talk to any athlete who has worn the United States on their chest or had the American flag on their uniform, there\u2019s an incredible sense of pride that you\u2019re not representing one team, one university, or one state, but you\u2019re representing the center of freedom in the world,\u201d he said. \u201cI think that\u2019s a pretty intense experience for any athlete who has done that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related stories:<\/h4>\n

Veterans Monument to be Dedicated Nov. 10 [2008]<\/a><\/p>\n

UConn To Host Roll Of Honor Dedication Ceremony [2009]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UConn alumni and students who are veterans were honored Sept. 11 during the football game.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1712,2234],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[55],"class_list":["post-21059","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-athletics","category-university-life"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-14 01:50:08","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21059","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21059"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21059\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":104701,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21059\/revisions\/104701"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21059"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21059"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21059"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=21059"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=21059"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}