Veterans honored with 101st Airborne's Screaming Eagles
Kim Chaudoin | 615.966.6494 |
Updated on Nov. 14, 2014
Photos by Kristi Jones, video by Josh Shaw.
Hundreds of members of the Lipscomb community gathered in the campus quad Nov. 10 to recognize the university's veteran students, faculty and staff. Paratroopers from the 101st Airborne Division’s Screaming Eagles parachuted onto the quad and delivered a United States flag to university officials.
Lt. Col. John Sapp delivered remarks at the ceremony that followed the aerial demonstration. Sapp enlisted in the Air National Guard in Nov. 1986. During this time he has served as a weapons loader for the Michigan Air National Guard, was commissioned as an officer in 1991, piloted the C-130 aircraft for nearly 20 years with multiple deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, Europe and Central America, and served as a remotely piloted aircraft pilot with the Tennessee Air National Guard. Help me welcome Lt. Col. John Sapp.
"A veteran is willing to give up comfort, familiar surroundings and go into danger," he said. "They are willing to give up their lives for something greater than themselves. Lipscomb is on the forefront of serving our veterans. We all can be a part of something bigger than ourselves by voting and standing up for what's right. Please continue to make America the shining example for others where you can pursue an education, speak your mind and serve God."
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The Lipscomb University community is planning to recognize its veteran students, faculty and staff with a special ceremony the day before Veterans Day. The event kick-offs Monday, Nov. 10, at 11:30 a.m. with an aerial demonstration by the 101st Airborne Division’s Screaming Eagles parachuting onto the university quad, located off the Belmont Boulevard side of campus.
“We want to recognize the service and sacrifice of our students, faculty and staff who have served in the military with special events during this time when the nation is focusing on honoring veterans,” said April Herrington, director of veterans services at Lipscomb University. “Having the soldiers parachuting onto campus is a unique way for the entire community to witness an example of the skill and bravery that our service men and women demonstrate every day. We hope that our community as well as our neighbors in Nashville will help us honor them by joining us on campus.”
The Screaming Eagles will deliver a United States flag and a Tennessee flag, which was flown over the Tennessee Capitol, and a color guard will present the flags to Lipscomb student veteran Chris Long. The flags will be part of a special ceremony on the steps of Lipscomb’s Burton Health Sciences Center. The ceremony will feature members of the university chorus singing the national anthem and remarks by Scott McDowell, senior vice president for student life at Lipscomb, among other activities.
Following the ceremony, students, faculty, staff and guests are invited to Bison Square on the campus for a free cook out, where free T-shirts will be distributed. The event is free and open to the public.
Since its inception, Lipscomb’s veterans services program has grown from 20 original participants in the university’s Yellow Ribbon Program to more than 200 veterans enrolled this fall and growing. Students have performed well academically with 71 percent of currently enrolled student veterans maintaining a minimum 3.0 GPA, and 13 percent of those maintaining a perfect 4.0 GPA.
Lipscomb University offers a variety of programs and services for veterans. Veterans who qualify for 100 percent of the Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits are able to earn, through the Yellow Ribbon Program, an undergraduate degree or a graduate business degree — a Master of Business Administration, Master of Accountancy or Master of Human Resources — tuition free.
This fall, Lipscomb University was ranked the second-best regional university in the South for veterans in U.S. News and World Report’s “2015 American’s Best Colleges” guidebook. A total of 42 universities were included in this list. It was also named a military-friendly school for the fifth consecutive year by “GI Jobs,” a publication of Victory Media, for its veterans services program. It was also named a top school in the 2015 Military Advanced Education Guide to Colleges & Universities research study.
For more information about the veterans services program, visit veterans.lipscomb.edu.