UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State is reflecting on another successful Military Appreciation Week. The 13th annual celebration recognized and honored active-duty service members, veterans and the military community through a series of University and community events held Nov. 11-17. This year’s event highlighted those who were prisoners of war and those who are still missing in action (POW/MIA).
Community support
The local community’s support is a critical element in the success of Military Appreciation Week. State College Borough recognized Military Appreciation Week at its Nov. 4 meeting. The Centre County Commissioners proclaimed November as Military Appreciation Month at its Oct. 29 meeting.
The community continued to show its support through the purchase and display of service member and veteran military appreciation banners throughout the borough. The banners will remain on display in the borough through the end of November.
Military Appreciation football and basketball games
The annual Military Appreciation football game and tailgate were held on Sept. 21, a day after National POW/MIA Day. Volunteers from Penn State, Walmart, Sam’s Club and the community welcomed thousands of service members, veterans and their loved ones inside the Bryce Jordan Center for a pregame tailgate.
Local organizations welcomed service members and offered resources in the concourse, while game sponsor Penn State World Campus distributed and shared military challenge coins to attendees.
Over at Beaver Stadium, thousands of service members, veterans and their families received complimentary tickets to the game through "Seats for Servicemembers." The pregame festivities featured a flyover of a group of T-38 Talons.
Multiple service members, veterans and their families were honored throughout the game, including Major Lewis P. Smith II. Smith is a 1964 Penn State alumnus whose plane went down in 1968 during the Vietnam War. Smith’s siblings Dennis Smith, Patti Long, and Deb Burger represented their brother on the field. Burger would share more about her brother’s story in November at the Military Appreciation Luncheon.
The Nittany Lions capped the day with a resounding 56-0 win over Kent State University.
The Penn State men’s basketball team hosted St. Francis University on Nov. 12 for its Military Appreciation Game. Service members received discounted tickets to the Lions’ 92-62 win over the Red Flash.
On-campus events
Penn State celebrated service members and veterans through its annual Penn State Employee and Student Military Service Recognition Breakfast on Nov. 11. The event highlighted support groups and opportunities for engagement for the veterans and military community allies.
Later that morning, the Penn State community gathered on the front steps of Old Main for the Veterans Day ceremony. The event included an address from Air Force Maj. Gen. Matteo Martemucci, a 1994 alumnus who currently serves as the deputy chief of the Central Security Service, National Security Agency.
Martemucci spoke of his experience in ROTC during his years at Penn State and reflected on the annual vigil held in September to honor and recognize prisoners of war and those who are missing in action.
“It was meaningful, but it was not very real to me at that time,” he said. “Now, it is very, very real to me and I’d like to share why. American military veterans represent the best of this great experiment that is the United States of America.”
The ceremony concluded with a wreath laying at the Penn State Veterans Plaza. Click here to watch a recording of the event.
Other events during the week included the Marine Corps Birthday Ball, Boots to Business Reboot seminar, and a pop-up exhibit featuring a question-and-answer session with the authors of “Into the Cold Blue: My World War II Journeys with the Mighty Eighth Air Force.”
About Penn State's Military Appreciation Week Committee
The Penn State Military Appreciation Week Committee is composed of Penn State and community volunteers dedicated to honoring the military community and celebrating Penn State’s military history and support for service members, veterans and military families. For more than a decade, the committee has organized Penn State Military Appreciation Week in collaboration with the community, student organizations, Penn State Athletics and local veteran organizations. Support annual events organized by the committee here.
For the latest Military Appreciation Week event information, visit the Penn State Military Appreciation website.