Bridge Rededicated At Ceremony To Honor Veterans

The UC Army and Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps presented a special salute to the nation’s veterans as they rededicated the Veterans Memorial Bridge that now links Tangeman University Center and the College-Conservatory of Music. AMVETS Post 1963, which dedicated the old bridge in 1992, took part in the rededication ceremony.

“What a great day it is to be an American,” said Philip R. Tilly, U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel and UC professor of military science, as he opened the ceremony. “We are here today to pause from our busy schedules and to honor the nation’s veterans and to celebrate our freedom.

“Veteran’s Day originated at 11 a.m., on the 11th day of the 11th month to mark the end of World War I,” Tilly continued. “It was originally called Armistice Day. In 1954, Congress replaced Armistice Day with Veteran’s Day, in order to honor American veterans from World War I, World War II, and Korea.”

The ceremony featured remarks by Lynn Ashley, who earned her doctorate in education from UC. Ashley was a female pioneer in the military when she joined the Women’s Army Corps in 1943. She said that at the time she enlisted, her brother was serving in England during the Normandy invasion. She shared her recollections of living in the barracks, physical training, gas mask drills and flying in planes during gas mask drills, and the camaraderie she experienced in the military. She also stated that although she expects more opportunities to open up for women in the military, many of the same barriers will exist as well. Ashley asked the attendees to remember the present men and women serving in Iraq and in other “safe and unsafe places. They need to be remembered in our prayers and supported on their return home.”

AMVETS Post 1963 member Georgette Burns remarked that the University of Cincinnati veteran community is truly massive. “UC has been represented in every major conflict since its founding.”

Daniel Beaver, a U.S. Army veteran and UC professor emeritus of military history, presented the speech he delivered at the 1992 dedication of the Veterans Memorial Bridge.

The speech detailed the customs of different countries in honoring their war dead. He remarked that Americans and countries such as Great Britain and Canada honor veterans with red poppies. “If you are ever in France on the 11th of November of any year, the graveyards grow red with poppies. On the 11th of November of any year, The London Times will remind you of the sacrifices of the great veterans. Over the years, Americans have forgotten the significance of that flower.”

 Philip R. Tilly, U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel and UC professor of military science, says 700 military veterans currently attend UC classes.