Joslyn Snyder is keynote speaker

For the ninth consecutive year, Ohio University Southern hosted its Veteran’s Day event Thursday in the Bowman Auditorium.

“We have this program in conjunction with the Honorable Judge Frank J. McCown Lecture Series,” Mary Ann Wymer, coordinator of non-traditional student recruitment and services at Ohio University Southern and organizer of the event, said.

The lecture series is in remembrance of McCown, a common pleas judge who also taught at Ohio University Southern for 32 years. The lecture series also honors veterans, something McCown was a great supporter of.

McCown died of leukemia in May of 2007 and the lecture series was established soon after.

“We decided to do this because we wanted to have an ongoing event to remember Frank and Frank would have wanted this to be about the veterans of this country,” Wymer said.

The event began with the presentation of the colors by the Paul G. Blazer High School junior ROTC, followed by a welcome by Wymer, the Pledge of Allegiance by Ohio University Southern student Rachel McWharter, patriotic songs sung by the Ironton High School Varsity Singers, keynote speaker Joslyn Snyder, a nurse at the Huntington VA Medical Center and Air Force veteran, singing by the Lawrence County Ecumenical Choir and concluding with a moment of silence.

Snyder spoke on a number of topics such as women in the military, being a veteran and loved ones who have served.

“We owe these men and women our sincere thanks and gratitude. Acknowledge their sacrifices, help support them, talk to them about their experiences and a simple thing to do is just visit them, especially our senior veterans. We need to always remember the veterans’ families and the sacrifices that they make to support their soldier,” Wymer said. “Today it is our privilege to say thank you to all American soldiers and veterans, to let them know we appreciate them for their service and honor them for their sacrifices. The price of freedom is high. We cannot afford to forget those willing to pay it.”