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Chancellor Cam Patterson stops Nov. 10 for a photo with UAMS Police at a ceremony honoring veterans.
Image by Evan Lewis
UAMS Honors Student and Employee Veterans
| Nov. 10, 2021 | The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) paid tribute to those who serve or have served in a ceremony at the flagpole in front of the I. Dodd Wilson Building on Nov. 10.
UAMS Chancellor Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA, opened the ceremony by thanking service members of all branches of the armed forces.
Chancellor Cam Patterson speaks at a ceremony honoring veterans at UAMS.
“Today, we honor our UAMS employees and students who are veterans and the sacrifices they have made to ensure we enjoy the many freedoms in our great nation,” he said.
He also reminded those in attendance that gratitude should not be limited to one day per year, as a veteran’s service is not limited to one 24-hour period.
“We should thank our veterans every single day,” he said. “Many have given years of their lives, and some have made the ultimate sacrifice. We at UAMS want to make sure our veterans know how much we appreciate their service.”
Patterson then said that as a token of UAMS’s appreciation to those who have served, student and employee veterans are given a plastic identifier badge to be worn with their name tags.
UAMS Police Chief Robert Barrentine, an Army veteran, then led the presentation of arms as the crowd recited the Pledge of Allegiance. Afterwards, UAMS Director of Communications Yavonda Chase sang the National Anthem.
Rather than holding a traditional colors ceremony, in which the flag is raised in memory of those who have lost their lives, Patterson said that for Veterans Day, the flag stays raised to pay respect to living veterans.
In closing remarks, he pointed out that although the ceremony was short, “Saying ‘thank you for your service,’ to someone who has been in the U.S. military only takes a short amount of time.”