Veterans Appreciation Day at Embry-Riddle

NEWS RELEASE

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Embry-Riddle Holds Inaugural Veterans Appreciation Day

Renowned Military Aviator Scott O’Grady the Speaker

Daytona Beach, Fla., April 15, 2009 -- Retired U.S. Air Force Capt. Scott O’Grady, an Embry-Riddle alumnus, was the guest speaker April 14 for Veterans Appreciation Day at the University’s Daytona Beach campus.

Hosted by Embry-Riddle President Dr. John P. Johnson and the Embry-Riddle Alumni Association, the Veterans Appreciation Day ceremony and the following lunch were free and open to the public and all local veterans.

O’Grady gained international prominence in June 1995 when the F-16C jet he was piloting was shot down by Serbs as he patrolled the no-fly zone over Bosnia. Evading capture by Serb patrols, he lived off the land for six days before he was rescued by U.S. Marines.

O’Grady wrote two books detailing his dramatic experiences, Return with Honor and Basher Five-Two. The film Behind Enemy Lines is loosely based on his story, and the History Channel produced a documentary on him. O’Grady retired from the Air Force in 2001 and is now a popular speaker nationwide.

“We were honored to have Embry-Riddle alumnus and veteran Scott O’Grady join us as we launched our first Veterans Appreciation Day to honor all veterans and the many sacrifices they make for our freedom,” said Michele Berg, director of Embry-Riddle’s Alumni Association.

The hour-long ceremony was held on Spruance Lawn, located at the main entrance to the University’s Daytona Beach campus at 600 S. Clyde Morris Boulevard.

Ceremony participants included Embry-Riddle faculty, staff, and students; student, alumni, and community veterans; Embry-Riddle’s ROTC units (Army, Air Force, and Navy); Embry-Riddle’s Veterans Affairs Office; the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; the American Legion; local businesspeople; and political representatives.

Ceremony Program

• Formation (Embry-Riddle ROTC Units)

• Presentation of Colors (Joint Service Color Guard)

• “Star-Spangled Banner” (Accafellas)

• All Military Service Songs

• Introduction (Dr. Richard Heist, Embry-Riddle Executive VP and Chief Academic Officer, Daytona Beach Campus)

• Opening Prayer (Melynne Rust, Embry-Riddle Chaplain)

• Address (Dr. John P. Johnson, Embry-Riddle President)

• Guest Speaker (Scott O’Grady)

• “Taps” (Bagpipes)

Also at the ceremony, the Alumni Association gave complimentary commemorative coins to all veterans, and the American Legion collected unserviceable American flags. A barbecue lunch was held on the Jack R. Hunt Lawn next to Embry-Riddle’s Student Center.

The evening of the previous day, April 13, O’Grady gave a presentation in the auditorium of the University’s Willie Miller Instructional Center, followed by a question-and-answer period. That event was exclusively for Embry-Riddle students, faculty, and staff.

For more information, please contact the Embry-Riddle Alumni Association at (800) 727-3728.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world’s largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, offers more than 30 degree programs in its colleges of Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Engineering, educating more than 34,000 students annually in undergraduate and graduate programs. Doctoral programs in aviation and in engineering physics are pending approval by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) for the University to offer programs at the doctoral level. Embry-Riddle educates students at residential campuses in Prescott, Ariz., and Daytona Beach, Fla., through the Worldwide Campus at more than 130 campus centers in the United States, Europe, Canada, and the Middle East, and through online learning. For more information, visit www.embryriddle.edu.