The University of Virginia’s Rotunda served as a fitting backdrop Friday as cadets, midshipmen and members of the public gathered for an ROTC-hosted ceremony honoring the nation’s veterans. The event served as a reminder of the University’s enduring national significance.
U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Geoffrey F. Weiss, director of regional affairs for the deputy undersecretary of Air Force International Affairs at the Pentagon, was the keynote speaker. Weiss, an Albemarle County native, is a 1991 graduate of UVA’s School of Engineering and Applied Science.
U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Geoffrey F. Weiss, director of regional affairs for the deputy undersecretary of Air Force International Affairs at the Pentagon, addresses cadets and midshipmen on the importance of Veterans Day and the role of the services. (Photo by Matt Riley, University Communications)
“Unlike almost any other university in this great nation, this Academical Village of Thomas Jefferson is inextricably tied to the soul of America,” Weiss said. “Charlottesville is geographically positioned within the midst of two monumental struggles: our founding war for independence, and the bloody Civil War that hastened the end of the abhorrent, national sin of slavery.”
He also cited the efforts of Jefferson and President Abraham Lincoln to create and preserve the nation and the impact they had on history.
“How different might the history of the 20th century have been, without the United States of America to oppose the 20th century’s eruption of tyranny, fascism, militarism and totalitarian communism?” Weiss asked.
According to the speaker, the cadets and midshipmen embody Jefferson’s vision of a well-educated populace with the ability to defend itself.
The Color Guard prepares to march during the Veterans Day ceremony held Friday on the north side of the Rotunda. (Photo by Matt Riley, University Communications)
“Jefferson knew the ideals of freedom and liberty he penned in the Declaration of Independence, and that later took the form of our U.S. Constitution – the document, the idea that all veterans swear to support and defend – could not survive, let alone flourish, without the patriots who followed the banners of George Washington and Nathanael Greene,” Weiss said.
Weiss, who outlined a brief history of Veterans Day, pointed to headlines of current conflicts and said it is important to preserve Jefferson’s idea of individual liberty.
Speaking of global rivals such as Russia and China, Weiss said, “Despite their nuclear weapons, big militaries, economic and natural resources, and so on, their political ideas are antiquated and contemptible.”
