{"id":57761,"date":"2019-11-06T14:21:20","date_gmt":"2019-11-06T21:21:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/?p=57761"},"modified":"2019-11-06T14:21:21","modified_gmt":"2019-11-06T21:21:21","slug":"purple-heart-university","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/purple-heart-university\/","title":{"rendered":"President Cheng declares NAU a Purple Heart University at Veterans Flag Tribute (VIDEO)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Nov. 6, 2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the 4<sup>th<\/sup> annual Veterans Flag Tribute at\nNorthern Arizona University, President <strong>Rita Cheng<\/strong> declared NAU a Purple\nHeart university, recognizing the level of support, encouragement and commitment\nthe university offers veterans, active-duty and reserve military members and other\nmilitary-connected students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She read the proclamation with Rodger Ely, state commander\nfor the Military Order of the Purple Heart, and Commander Ed \u201cMac\u201d McGlynn of\nRegion Six of the Military Order on each side of her and a massive, lighted\nAmerican flag in the background. Lighted luminarias with messages of gratitude\nand support lined the walkway in front of the podium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Military Order of the Purple Heart recognizes Purple Heart universities for their support of veterans wounded in combat and it encourages students, faculty, staff and alumni to join us in honoring veterans,\u201d she told the assembled crowd. \u201cYou, our veterans students make up an important part of our community, bringing with you leadership skills developing from proudly serving our country. For your presence here and for your honorable sacrifice, we thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Purple Heart Proclamation\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/HhB4HQynZgI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption><em>Video by NAU-TV<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The tribute, which <strong>Pete Yanka<\/strong>, the director of <a href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/veteran-and-military-services\/\">Veteran and Military Services<\/a>, led, was an opportunity for veterans and their families from throughout northern Arizona to gather together and for the NAU community to recognize and thank them for their service. In addition to a moment of silence to honor soldiers who died at war, the Rick Yazzie and Battle Lake Singers performed the Veteran Honor Song in honor of the Indigenous people and communities who hold the land sacred and their deep and rich history within the U.S. Armed Forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThank you for your service\u2014you and your families,\u201d Yanka\nsaid. \u201cThank you for your commitment to being a part of something larger than\nyourselves. Thank you for all the sacrifices, both big and small. And to our\nfamilies who have lost loved ones, no words will be enough. Thank you for being\na part of this community, where your insight expands community thought and your\ncommitment to service plays out on a daily basis.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Additionally, three veterans spoke at the event, all with\nconnections to the NAU and Flagstaff communities. Billy Weldon joined the\nmilitary after graduating from high school; as an Army paratrooper he served\ntwo tours in Vietnam, earning a Purple Heart and two Bronze Stars. He\u2019s been\ninvolved in veteran activities for the last 50 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wordpresst\/uploads\/sites\/153\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/AEE530B5-3AB0-49BE-BEAD-2DEF871B64E4-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-57770\" width=\"422\" height=\"281\" srcset=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/402\/2019\/11\/AEE530B5-3AB0-49BE-BEAD-2DEF871B64E4-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/402\/2019\/11\/AEE530B5-3AB0-49BE-BEAD-2DEF871B64E4-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/402\/2019\/11\/AEE530B5-3AB0-49BE-BEAD-2DEF871B64E4-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/402\/2019\/11\/AEE530B5-3AB0-49BE-BEAD-2DEF871B64E4.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/402\/2019\/11\/AEE530B5-3AB0-49BE-BEAD-2DEF871B64E4-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 422px) 100vw, 422px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBeing a veteran is the best honor I\u2019ve ever had in this\nlife,\u201d he said before calling Ely and McGlynn back up to present Cheng with a\nPurple Heart flag and a necklace blessed by a Native American medicine man. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Meg Mosley<\/strong>, an NAU instructor who spent 13 years in\nthe Army, rising to the rank of sergeant military police, spoke about her experiences\nas one of the first women airborne police personnel. She joined the Army in the\nmid-1980s and spent her career demanding to be allowed to enlist in areas not\ntraditionally allowed to women. She spoke of wearing uniforms designed for men\nand being held to performance standards set with the expectation that she would\nfail them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She met them all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt is not a pedigree that I take lightly,\u201d she said. \u201cI\nknow it is hard-earned and well-deserved.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of her deployments was in 1985 to Grenada, a Caribbean\nisland that had been shattered by military action. The people welcomed the\nAmerican soldiers who came to help rebuild.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI remember the welcome given us by the community and the promise we brought to them, which was peace,\u201d Mosley said. \u201cPeace is an opportunity that we often offer others, yet peace for a veteran is an assurance less granted.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube aligncenter wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Meg Mosely\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2VboAeVOTXo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption><em>Video by NAU-TV<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Armondo Escalanti<\/strong>, an NAU graduate and student in the\nmaster\u2019s of social work program, spent 14 years as an aviation boatswain\u2019s mate\nin the Navy, maintaining and operating the catapult system that launched\naircraft off of aircraft carriers. As he shared what being a veteran meant to\nhim\u2014humility, family, connection, being part of a legacy that is greater than\neach of them\u2014he returned to the same message for other veterans: Welcome home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bells from NAU\u2019s tower pealed as Escalante, who wants to\nwork for the VA after graduation, spoke, emotion in his voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m proud to have served,\u201d he said. \u201cWhenever I see a fellow brother or sister, it brings a sense of pride to me, that I was able to answer that call as well, to be a part of that group. We have many that have come home hurt, come home with PTSD, who have seen things that people don\u2019t normally see. It\u2019s important that we recognize that and help each other out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Veteran Honor Song\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/dA4Wb_y2fwc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption><em>Video by NAU-TV<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide\" style=\"grid-template-columns:23% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"107\" src=\"http:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wordpresst\/uploads\/sites\/153\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/NAU_primary-281_3514-1-e1536853679171.png\" alt=\"NAU logo\" class=\"wp-image-52199\"\/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><br>Heidi Toth | NAU Communications<br>(928) 523-8737 | <a href=\"mailto:heidi.toth@nau.edu\ufeff\">heidi.toth@nau.edu<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><a class=\"search-results-excerpt-link\" href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/purple-heart-university\/\">Nov. 6, 2019 At the 4th annual Veterans Flag Tribute at Northern Arizona University, President Rita Cheng declared NAU a Purple Heart university, recognizing the level of support, encouragement and commitment the university offers veterans, active-duty and reserve military members and other military-connected students. She read the proclamation with Rodger Ely, state commander for the&hellip;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":57769,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-57761","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus-community"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57761","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/59"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57761"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57761\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57769"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57761"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57761"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57761"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}