(Photo/Auburn University Veterans Resource Center)
By Troy Turner
AUBURN – The Auburn University Veterans Resource Center will host a special pre-Memorial Day ceremony at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday (May 19) to honor U.S. service members who lost their lives in military service to the United States.
The Tuesday ceremony will take place on Carter Lawn on the Auburn campus and will feature a keynote address by Col. Chris Richie, a decorated Marine Corps officer (retired), a leadership speaker at the Air War College, and the director of Human Resources development at Auburn University.
USMC Col. Chris Richie (R)
The ceremony is open to the public and attendees will be invited to place flags on Cater Lawn in remembrance of service members killed in action. Guests will have shaded seating underneath a tent on Cater Lawn during the event.
Complimentary parking and shuttle service to Cater Lawn will be available at Auburn United Methodist Church, located at 137 S. Gay St.
Lunch will be provided to registered attendees in Foy Commons immediately following the ceremony.
Those planning to attend and register may do so at Email [email protected].
The meaning is much deeper
Curtis Pippin, program coordinator at theAuburn University Veterans Resource Center, is one of the organizers of the event.
“Memorial Day deserves a place of dignity on campus. For many, it can become easy to see the day only as the beginning of summer or a long weekend,” he said, referring to the official Memorial Day holiday on Monday, May 25.
“For Gold Star families and those who served alongside the fallen, the meaning is much deeper. It is personal. It carries names, faces, stories, and an absence, or void, that stays,” Pippin said.
The event will also recognize the family of Sgt. 1st Class Allen C. Johnson, U.S. Army, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2005 while serving during Operation Enduring Freedom. His daughter, Naomi Johnson, is an Auburn student pursuing her degree in Horticulture.
Allen C. Johnson
“Having her with us makes the day deeply personal and reminds everyone present that Gold Star families carry the cost of service long after the final note of Taps,” Pippin said.
‘Purchased at a great price’
Richie said his comments will reflect a similar tone.
“Memorial Day is not simply a long weekend or a celebration—it is a day of remembrance. It asks something of us. It asks us to pause, reflect, and recognize that the freedoms we enjoy today were secured through sacrifice,” he said.
“For today’s students, this matters because the future of our republic rests in their hands. As Benjamin Franklin warned at our founding, the success of this nation depends on the character and commitment of its people,” Richie said. “Memorial Day connects us to that responsibility.
“It reminds us that we are beneficiaries of a gift purchased at a great price, and challenges us to live lives worthy of that sacrifice.”
The Veterans Resource Center supports Auburn’s military-affiliated students, including veterans, current-serving military personnel, National Guard and Reserve members, dependents and survivors.
“Any request to speak is a great honor,” Richie said, “and I can think of no greater honor than speaking on behalf of our fallen American patriots who gave their lives in service to our nation.”
Troy Turner is the founder, editor and senior consultant for AlaDefense.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. His bio can be found here.
Similar stories of interest:
