A UMass Lowell Flag Ceremony Nov. 14 honored veterans’ service to the nation and highlighted the institution’s initiatives to support military-connected students on campus and families in the community.
Held at University Crossing, the 15th annual event featured the unfurling of a three-story-tall American flag from the top balcony of the building’s atrium, a performance by the UMass Lowell Marching Band and the presentation of the colors by the UMass Lowell Air Force ROTC Detachment No. 345.
Each year, more than 1,300 student veterans and active-duty military members attend UMass Lowell either on campus or online, many while deployed at locations around the world.
Offering the keynote address was U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Alan Weary, who boasts a 25-year military career capped by his tenure as installation command chief at Hanscom Air Force Base. In January, he will become the chief operating officer of the UMass Lowell Applied Research Corporation.
“The work UMass Lowell is doing is exciting and transformative,” Weary said. “To me, the university provides the ideal podium for veterans to showcase their people skills, their academic skills and their technical expertise to become the next generation of leaders and problem solvers.”
UMass Lowell Chancellor Julie Chen credited Weary with growing the partnership between the university and Hanscom Air Force base, just one of several initiatives including UMLARC and the UMass Lowell HEROES collaboration, which connect UMass Lowell researchers, military leaders and contractors to innovate cutting-edge solutions that enhance the protection and performance of troops.
“Partnerships like these are important threads in the fabric of our university. Indeed, they are central to our pursuit of the Lowell Innovation Network Corridor, which will create a vital urban district that benefits our city, our students, and veterans,” Chen said. “It is deeply meaningful today to pay tribute to those students, alumni, faculty and staff – and university partners – who’ve given so personally and deeply to protecting and securing our country.”
One example of UMass Lowell’s outreach to veterans is one of the newest organizations to join LINC, Vets RISE. A collaboration between UMass Lowell and Headlamp, it will provide veterans and their spouses with the training and resources they need to launch rewarding life sciences careers.
The event also featured remarks by UMass Lowell student-veteran Samantha Spaziano, a Purple Heart recipient and president of the university’s Student Veterans Association who is a business administration major from Attleboro. A U.S. Air Force veteran who held the rank of staff sergeant and worked as an aviation resource manager, Spaziano was awarded a Purple Heart for combat injuries she sustained in Iraq. As a UMass Lowell student, she serves as cadet commander in Air Force ROTC Detachment 345, based on campus. After graduation, she plans to become a military pilot.
She credited UMass Lowell, notably the Student Veterans Association and the ROTC corps, for helping her transition back to civilian life.
“They’ve become part of my UMass Lowell experience that I call home and family,” she said.