Colonel Christian Rees, Chief of Staff, Land Component Command of the Oregon Army National Guard, will be the featured speaker at the University’s annual Veterans Day ceremony at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, November 11, at the Praying Hands Memorial. The ceremony, sponsored by the University’s Air Force and Army ROTC programs, will recognize campus members who have served during times of war, including World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, and Gulf War veterans. Members of the public are welcome to attend.
Rees was formerly director of installations for the Oregon Military Department. He earned a bachelor of science at Cornell University, an M.Arch. in architecture at the University of Oregon, and a master’s degree in strategic studies at the U.S. Army War College in 2012.
Also on Wednesday, Nov. 11, at 2 p.m., the University will have calls for world peace at the International Peace Garden located outside of Buckley Center Auditorium. A few short readings will be given by international students, along with personal messages and prayers in their own languages and religions calling for world peace.
The Praying Hands Memorial was built by the University’s Class of 1948, in honor of the 69 University of Portland students killed during World War II.
For more information on the Veterans Day observation, contact Pete Wood, Army ROTC, at x8058 or woodpe@up.edu. For information on Prayers for Peace, contact the Garaventa Center at x7702 or garaventa@up.edu.