BILLINGS — Montana State University Billings will host the annual Veterans Day Celebration in honor of our veterans on Monday.
Patriotic music by the ninth grade Lockwood band will begin at 9:30 a.m. to greet guests as they find their seats in Petro Theater.
Master of Ceremonies Ed McIntosh from KTVQ will open the ceremony at 10 a.m., followed by a welcome from MSU Billings Chancellor, a U.S. Army Veteran Dan Edelman.
Presentation of the colors, National Anthem, Pledge of Allegiance, and opening prayer will follow.
After the commemoration of the 100 year anniversary of the American Legion Auxiliary, special guests will be recognized including Yellowstone County Commissioner Denis Pitman.
United States Senator Steve Daines and Superintendent of Huntley Project Schools Mark Wandle will serve as keynote speakers for the event.
Wandle will speak about his 20 years of service in the National Guard, with tours in Germany, Italy, South Korea, and Iraq.
During the ceremony, MSU Billings will also recognize its designation as a Purple Heart University, led by Dawn Githens, retired USAF Colonel and current director of the MSU Billings Military and Veterans Success Center.
Following the closing prayer, guests are invited to follow the Color Guard processional outside for the ringing of the Bell by two WWII Veterans, Volley by VFW Post 6774, and Taps and Echo by retired Air Force Lt. Colonel Jack Klein.
MSU Billings will host a lunch reception beginning at 11:30 a.m. in the Student Union Building Glacier Room.
This event is sponsored by Friends of the Yellowstone National Cemetery Board, American Legion Auxiliary Unit 117, MSU Billings Foundation, MasterLube, and Montana State University Billings.
