The Campbell University ROTC displays the American flag during a Veterans Day Ceremony held Monday, Nov. 11, at the Central Carolina Community College Lee Main Campus in Sanford, N.C.
SANFORD, N.C. - Military spouses, whose service to the country is often performed quietly in the wings, was celebrated centerstage during the 2019 Veterans Day Ceremony at Central Carolina Community College.
The annual commemoration was held on Nov. 11 at the CCCC Lee Main Campus in Sanford. Instructor Richard Biggs, a retired member of the U.S. Air Force, presented opening remarks and introduced the guest speakers. Matt Thewes, Veterans Upward Bound Director who is a retired member of the U.S. Air Force, had closing remarks. The event featured flag ceremonies conducted by the Campbell University ROTC.
Several military wives expressed respect for their husbands' service, while describing how difficult it can be to take care of families back home as their loved ones are deployed around the world -- often for years at a time.
Holly Eldred, one of several guest speakers, described how a military career consumes every aspect of family life. At home, Eldred became father and mother through long, lonely separations, to keep the family together and allow her husband to focus on the mission at hand. Most of the time, Eldred said, she had no direct contact with her husband and no idea where he even was.
When he did come home, the couple had to go through what she called a challenging "reintegration process" designed to help the family adapt to being together again. Pain from family separation took its toll on everyone, she said, including their oldest son, who once told friends that he never got to know his father until he was a teenager and his father had retired.
"Through being a military wife, I have learned that he price of freedom is certainly not free," she told her audience. "It's cost my husband. It's cost myself. It's cost our children. It's cost every other military personnel and their families."
Three other military wives -- Denise Martin, Shari McGuire and Mary Ann Aucompaugh -- echoed those points, with McGuire saying that she and her husband spent more time apart than together over a 15-year period. Natalie Cupid, a veteran and guest speaker, thanked her own spouse, who was sitting just a few yards away.
The keynote speaker for the 50-minute ceremony was Natasha Galloza Rosado, who had a unique perspective as part of a military couple. She served three years in the U.S. Army as a generator mechanic and briefly recounted her career that included service overseas in South Korea and then at Fort Bragg, near Fayetteville.
Her path, she said, required plenty of sacrifice. As a native of Puerto Rico, Galloza Rosado worked hard to learn English well enough to function in the Army and then overcome some personal challenges to serve effectively. And then she had to navigate an especially complex family life. First as a soldier. Then as a soldier and military spouse. And later as a soldier, military spouse and mother of a child born while she was still serving.
"It's pretty hard to sometimes be a veteran," she said. "I don't want people to say, 'Thank you for your service.' I want us to work together to make this a better place to live, work and raise our children."
Early in the ceremony, CCCC President Dr. Lisa M. Chapman thanked everyone for attending. She expressed appreciation for veterans and their family members who have made sacrifices for the nation, and then put the purpose for the annual gathering into focus.
"With all of our challenges that we have today, we still live in the very best country in the world," she said, speaking directly to the veterans assembled. "And we owe that debt to each of you."
To learn more about Central Carolina Community College and its programs, visit www.cccc.edu.
The Campbell University ROTC displays the American flag during a Veterans Day Ceremony held Monday, Nov. 11, at the Central Carolina Community College Lee Main Campus in Sanford, N.C.
Natasha Galloza Rosado speaks during a Veterans Day Ceremony held Monday, Nov. 11, at the Central Carolina Community College Lee Main Campus in Sanford, N.C.
Richard Biggs, Central Carolina Community College Instructor and U.S. Air Force Retired, speaks during a Veterans Day Ceremony held Monday, Nov. 11, at the CCCC Lee Main Campus in Sanford, N.C.
Central Carolina Community College President Dr. Lisa M. Chapman speaks during a Veterans Day Ceremony held Monday, Nov. 11, at the CCCC Lee Main Campus in Sanford, N.C.
American flags are prominent during a Veterans Day Ceremony held Monday, Nov. 11, at the Central Carolina Community College Lee Main Campus in Sanford, N.C.
Matt Thewes, CCCC Director of Veterans Upward Bound and U.S. Air Force Retired, speaks during a Veterans Day Ceremony held Monday, Nov. 11, at the Central Carolina Community College Lee Main Campus in Sanford, N.C.