UB will honor the university’s veteran and military service members with a two-part program on Veterans Day, Nov. 11.

The seventh annual celebration will begin at 11 a.m. with a flag ceremony on Coventry Circle in front of Alumni Arena on the North Campus.

The traditional raising of the flag to half-mast and commemorative bell-ringing will take place at 11:11 a.m. An invocation will be offered by the Rev. Mike Zuffoletto, retired Navy chaplain. Taking part in the ceremony will be members of University Police and ROTC color guards, and the Thunder of the East marching band. 

Following the ceremony, the celebration will move to the Black Box Theater in the Center for the Arts for refreshments and remarks. Dan Ryan, director of veteran services, will welcome attendees. UB student Leandre Munyana; James “Jay” Roorbach, UB senior emergency planning coordinator; Col. Robert Kilgore, commander, 107th Airlift Wing, New York Air National Guard; and World War II veteran Efner "Lucky" Davis each will reflect on what it means to be a veteran.

Munyana, a student in the School of Management, joined the Navy in February 2010 and served as a member of the sonar division for the USS Georgia from March 2011 to January 2015.

Roorbach was a member of the U.S. Army Chemical Corps from 1989 through 2001. He served in operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom. Roorbach received numerous awards, including four Army Commendation Medals and Four Army Achievement Medals.

As commander of the 107th Airlift Wing at the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station, Kilgore is responsible for the deployment and employment of assigned personnel and equipment encompassing operations, medical and mission support group functions. A 1988 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, he served in operations Desert Storm, Desert Shield, Desert Strike, Iraqi Freedom, New Dawn and Enduring Freedom. He joined the New York Air National Guard in 1997.

Davis served in the Pacific Theater during World War II, specifically in Guadalcanal, Bougainville and Louzan, and took part in the occupation of Sendi, Japan, in January 1946. He served an additional four years in the reserves.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information and to RSVP, visit the Special Events website.

In observance of Veterans Day, the Office of Veteran Services is partnering with the American Red Cross to sponsor a blood drive from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Veteran Services' office in 101 Allen Hall, South Campus. Walk-ins are welcome, but donors also can make an appointment by visiting the Red Cross website and using the sponsor code UBVDAY.