Honoring Those Who Have Served
Each year, the Assumption University community gathers in the company of friends to honor those who have, or currently serve, in the United States Armed Forces. On November 13 of this year, TFAC’s Brian ’83 and Paqui Kelly Atrium atrium filled with students, faculty, and staff who held in their hearts thoughts of relatives, friends, and heroes unknown.
Following an invocation provided by Fr. Dennis Gallagher, A.A., vice president for mission, and a beautiful a cappella rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner performed by Assumption’s Chorale, Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty reflected on the importance of observing the day, noting how veterans connect generations across history.
“The act of observing Veterans Day reinforces our national character by taking a collective pause. We acknowledge that citizenship involves more than consumption—it involves the connection to history, to sacrifice, and to each other. It reminds younger generations that someone else stood watch and answered the nation’s call,” Petty said. “The enduring significance of Veterans Day proves how those who serve continually make sacrifices for the common good, both in wartime and in peace time, to protect our national security and democratic ideals.”
In his remarks, President Greg Weiner invoked the brevity of Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, through which the wartime president offered profound acknowledgement about veterans’ service in a stunningly short address.
“In just 271 words—two minutes—he captured the unrequitable, inarticulable debt of gratitude our nation owes its veterans,” Weiner said. “Lincoln’s words were not a stirring affirmation of ways to honor our heroes appropriately, but rather of what we cannot do. He said, ‘we can not dedicate; we can not consecrate; we can not hallow’ the service of our veterans more than they have already done themselves. But our inability to understand fully the sacrifices our veterans made does not excuse us from the debt we owe to honor and to express our gratitude toward them.”
Weiner then introduced Major General (Ret.) Robert Catalanotti ’80 HD ’15, a member of the Asssumption University Board of Trustees, who spoke about his service in Taji, Iraq, two decades ago.
“To this day, I often reflect on the distinction and honor I was given to command these remarkable soldiers in Taji, feeling deep humility and pride, having led the absolute best American sons and daughters through the darkest and most difficult combat days,” Catalanotti said. “It was my Assumption College foundation in critical thinking and moral reasoning during my undergraduate years that profoundly shaped my subsequent development as a military commander. Assumption’s education gave me moral conviction, thereby earning the trust of my soldiers, holding the values we swore to defend. It is this amazing and profound Assumption community where our veterans find compassion, kindness, fulfillment, and belonging for the purpose of faith, friendship, and scholastic achievement.”
Secretary of the Executive Office of Veterans Services of Massachusetts Jon Santiago was the featured speaker at the event, noting how during his time as Secretary, the stories of those veterans whom he has helped have stood out the most to him.
“It’s really the stories that have impacted me the most: the homeless veteran who was able to get the care and services he needed to get a job and get ahead in life; or the Gold Star mother who lost her son in Iraq, and since then has devoted her life to supporting educational investments and folks in the community—things that her son would have wanted; or the many cities and towns out there supporting their veterans and military families every single day,” Santiago said. “Because of these stories, and the inspirational fact that we are doing this together—not me or my office, but we as a community—we were able to get things done.”
Heather LaShombe G’22 gave closing remarks to the crowd. A graduate of Assumption’s rehabilitation counseling graduate program, LaShombe served in the Rhode Island National Guard from 2010 to 2016 and was deployed to Kuwait from November 2011 to October 2012. LaShombe then worked for the Veterans Benefits Administration as a vocational rehabilitation counselor.
“My experiences in the military were brief, but they significantly impacted my life and helped make me the person that I am today. It was the soldiers that I served alongside and formed an irreplaceable bond with which drove me to want to work in the rehabilitation counseling field. I wanted to continue to serve, even after leaving the military, with the veteran community, and to give back to all of those who gave me so much,” LaShombe said. “Today, I am able to take what I learned here and work as a rehabilitation counselor and make a difference for other veterans like me. I can’t express my gratitude enough for the education and mentorship I gained while attending this institution.”
Assumption’s annual Veterans Day ceremony is planned and sponsored by the Veterans Success Committee and hosted by Associate Professor of Human Services and member of the United States Army Reserves Gary Senecal. This year, the committee began a new tradition to honor veterans with a Field of Flags. More than 40 flags were planted at the front of La Maison Francaise in honor of veterans, active-duty service members, and loved ones to raise money for Veterans Inc., a Worcester-based organization dedicated to supporting veterans and their families.
Learn more about Assumption’s commitment to serving those who have served here.