Iowa Lakes Veterans Day Program Will Celebrate Women in the Military Featuring Keynote Speaker Colonel Sonya L. Morrison

(Estherville, Iowa) Iowa Lakes Community College will honor Veterans with a focus on celebrating women in the military for this year’s Veteran’s Day Program. This year’s event will be held on Friday, November 11, 2022, at 11:00 am in the Janice K. Lund Performing Arts Center on the Estherville Campus. The public is invited to attend this free event.

“We want to honor Veterans who served and sacrificed to protect our country. Our Veterans program this year features female Veterans and current military personnel as the emcee, keynote speaker, and student address,” explained Tim Ireland, Veteran Center Director.

This year’s featured keynote speaker is Colonel Sonya L. Morrison, the first female Wing Commander of the Iowa Air National Guard’s 185th Air Refueling Wing. Morrison, an Osceola, Iowa native and a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa, is an accomplished pilot who has flown everything from helicopters to fighter planes to crewless aerial vehicles and has flown more than 500 combat hours in various operations.

The Master of Ceremonies will be Melissa Lutat, a retired Air Force Veteran who served for 22 years. In addition, Danessa Bruner, an Iowa Lakes Construction Technology and military student from Buffalo Center, Iowa, will discuss Veterans Day history.

The program will also showcase musical performances from the Iowa Lakes Choir, Iowa Lakes Band, and the Iowa Lakes Handbell Ensemble, directed by Professors Carol Ayres and Brett Fuelberth.

Lunch will be served in The Max dining hall from 12:00 to 12:30 pm, with all Veterans receiving a complimentary lunch.

Iowa Lakes strives to offer a military and Veteran-friendly environment. A recently awarded grant from the U.S. Department of Education will allow improvement of existing military and Veteran student services by developing a Center of Excellence for Veteran Student Success on the Estherville and Emmetsburg Campuses to coordinate comprehensive support services, including academic, mental health, physical health, and enhanced learning opportunities.

For those who cannot attend the Veterans Day Program in person, the event will be live streamed at iowalakes.edu.

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