At 5:45 Wednesday morning, while the moon is still high in the sky and there’s a crisp chill in the air, spectators will wait as runners travel along Pullen Road toward the Bell Tower.
This Veterans Day, to honor those who have served in the military at the end of World War I on the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918, the ROTC units at NC State will host the event, Veterans Day Run. There will be about 400 people who will run Wednesday, including students, veterans, citizens and athletes from the NC State baseball team, according to Jasmin Alsaied, a junior studying nuclear engineering and a joint officer in the Navy ROTC program. She worked alongside other joint officers to plan the run.
“The Veterans Day Run reminds us as students why we are here, why we made the decision to serve and why we work so hard,” Alsaied said. “We are reminded that regardless of our trials and tribulations, there were countless before us who sacrificed so much for this great community.”
The other officers who planned this run with Alsaied are Matt Williamitis of Army ROTC and Sun Jo of Air Force ROTC.
“In the past years, university sports teams, the mayor, foreign representation from France and all four branches of the military participated, including cadets and veterans,” Brian Robert, senior military instructor at NC State, said.
The event will start at 5:45 a.m. and last until about 8 a.m., though the run itself will be a half-an-hour and begin at 6 a.m. The runners will go along Hillsborough Street toward Dan Allen Drive, onto Cates Ave and circled back up Pullen Road to the Bell Tower. Flag bearers of each branch will lead the way.
The NC State baseball team will also be involved in the run. Evan Brabrand, a sophomore studying sport management and right hand pitcher for the baseball team said, “the team wore our gear to represent our team as well as the school and to show support for the troops who died during that war.”
When the run concludes, there will be a presentation of colors by a joint color guard, composed of students from each branch. Lieutenant General Daniel Bolger, a retired, decorated U.S. Army general, will address the public at the Bell Tower. Bolger is now an assistant professor who teaches history courses as well as the course Leadership in the Public Sector.
Tuesday evening, a Veteran’s Day Vigil was held for the Arnold Air Society. Cadets from the Arnold Air Society and Silver Wings guarded the Bell Tower holding a 10 lb. rifle at attention. There were 27 hour-long shifts to guard the Bell Tower, with two students on guard each shift.
Along with the two students, there was a third person that acted as a safety spotter who was available to speak with people, since the guards at attention were not allowed to talk. The students will finish guarding the Bell Tower when the event starts.
“The official wording for why we guard the Bell Tower is to honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice to defend this great nation,” said Billy Mullis, a senior studying computer science and member of the Air Force ROTC.
The Bell Tower stands to honor those from NC State who were killed in World War I, according to NC State’s website. Nicknamed “A Legend in Stone,” it houses a memorial plaque with the names of 35 alumni who died in the first World War. The 35th name was added by mistake and was then changed from George L. Jeffers to George E. Jefferson to represent unknown fallen soldiers at NC State and anywhere else.
Cadets are all geared up to lead the runners participating in the run held on Nov. 11, 2014 at the Bell Tower to celebrate Veteran’s Day. The event was organized by ROTC honor those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces.
