Dear UM Community,

This Sunday is Veterans Day, and I want to acknowledge and thank the many in our community and across the country who have served and are currently serving in our military. These individuals embody the service ethic that makes our University and our Missoula community so special, and I invite you to please join me in honoring and thanking our veterans and service members.

As you may know, many of the carillon bells in Main Hall are dedicated to members of our community who have served in defense of this nation, and when you hear our campus bells ringing each day at noon, please remember that they ring to honor this service ethic and specifically those students who have given their lives in service.

This year marks 100 years since the original Armistice Day in 1918 that ended World War I. For the centennial occasion, there are a number of special events in Missoula and outlying communities on Sunday. In Missoula:

• There will be a special, pre-dawn international bagpipe performance at the Doughboy statue on the Missoula County Courthouse lawn. The Missoula Pipers will join more than 1,000 others worldwide at 6 a.m. as part of “Battle’s Over: A Nation’s Tribute” to mark 100 years of remembrance.
• American Legion Post 27 annual Veterans Day pancake feed begins 7 a.m. at its headquarters, 825 Ronan St.
• The Rocky Mountain Museum of Military History will be hosting activities and displays.
• Veterans for Peace will gather at the Rose Park Vietnam Memorial from 10:45 to 11:30 a.m.
• The military museum and county courthouse bells will chime at 11 a.m. as part of the National World War I Centennial Committee’s “Bells of Peace.” The Veterans Day ceremony and a rededication of the Doughboy statue and plaza on the courthouse lawn will follow.

The University of Montana will be closed on Monday, Nov. 12, in honor of Veterans Day.

I want to thank the service members in our campus community, those who have served previously and those who are serving today. To our veterans who are now students at UM, I thank you for your service. I am honored that you are part of the University of Montana community.

Seth