University of Virginia’s Rotunda served as a fitting backdrop Friday as cadets, midshipmen and members of the public gathered for an ROTC-hosted ceremony honoring the nation’s veterans. The event served as a reminder of the University’s enduring national significance.
U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Geoffrey F. Weiss, director of regional affairs for the deputy undersecretary of Air Force International Affairs at the Pentagon, was the keynote speaker. Weiss, an Albemarle County native, graduated with a Bachelor of Science in aerospace engineering, with distinction, in 1991 from UVA’s School of Engineering and Applied Science.
“Unlike almost any other university in this great nation, this Academical Village of Thomas Jefferson is inextricably tied to the soul of America,” Weiss said. “Charlottesville is geographically positioned within the midst of two monumental struggles: our founding war for independence, and the bloody Civil War that hastened the end of the abhorrent, national sin of slavery.”
He also cited the efforts of Jefferson and President Abraham Lincoln to create and preserve the nation and the impact they had on history.
“How different might the history of the 20th century have been, without the United States of America to oppose the 20th century’s eruption of tyranny, fascism, militarism and totalitarian communism?” Weiss said.
According to the speaker, the cadets and midshipmen embody Jefferson’s vision of a well-educated populace with the ability to defend itself.
“Jefferson knew the ideals of freedom and liberty he penned in the Declaration of Independence, and that later took the form of our U.S. Constitution – the document, the idea that all veterans swear to support and defend – could not survive, let alone flourish, without the patriots who followed the banners of George Washington and Nathanael Greene,” Weiss said.
Weiss, who outlined a brief history of Veterans Day, pointed to headlines of current conflicts and said it is important to preserve Jefferson’s idea of individual liberty.
Speaking of global rivals such as Russia and China, Weiss said, “Despite their nuclear weapons, big militaries, economic and natural resources, and so on, their political ideas are antiquated and contemptible.”
He lauded the sacrifices of the Ukrainian people and compared them to U.S. veterans. He also reminded the cadets and midshipmen they are in the armed services to serve others.
“After you leave these hallowed Grounds, I charge you with striving to make good things happen for your people and for your organization,” Weiss said. “What do your people need to be successful? Help them identify that and pursue it. What does your organization need to be successful? Figure that out and get after it.”
The ceremony followed a 24-hour vigil, with more than 100 cadets and midshipmen marching in shifts on the north terraces of the Rotunda in honor and memory of those service members who are missing in action or were prisoners of war.
“I’m doing this because it gives me camaraderie with my peers,” Air Force ROTC cadet Col. Sasha Porter, a fourth-year psychology major, said. “Also, one day, someone may be marching up there for me or one of my peers, so it’s important that I’m paying respects to those who have come before us.”
The veterans’ ceremony opened with the national anthem and featured a POW/MIA table presentation to remember those who are missing, a flag-folding ceremony, a 21-gun salute and Army ROTC Cadet Regan Powell playing “Taps.”