Dallas Holds Veterans Day Ceremony Complete with Contests, Readings and More

The SCI Dallas Veterans Day Ceremony actually started a couple weeks prior to the event on Nov. 11 with the first-ever Veterans Day writing contest. The contest included three categories: quotes, poetry, and essays, and it was held in conjunction with a Veterans Day poster contest.

The Veterans Day ceremony focused on the military's role in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Four members of the Veterans Service Unit read articles that demonstrated the pressure and impact the pandemic placed on healthcare systems, governments, and society and the military's response to each. The fight against the pandemic called on a trusted agency of the government — the military — to offer an unprecedented response in its scale and complexity. Deployment of the armed forces addressed the disproportionate magnitude of the health crisis caused by COVID-19 and highlighted the service, dedication, resilience and out-of-the-box thinking of our future veterans. Isaac Newton said it best in 1675, "If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants."  Therefore, today and every day, we must honor the millions who have gone before us, so today's and tomorrow's service members know who enabled that vision.

Lastly, SCI Dallas honored staff veterans with a special meal. Dallas' employee association provided cakes with service logos to each shift and started a "Stars for our Veterans" that will provide each veteran an embroidered star in a pouch with the following message: "I am part of our American flag that has flown over the USA. I can no longer fly. The sun and winds caused me to become tattered and torn. Please carry me as a reminder that You are not forgotten."