DUNMORE, Pa. — Marywood University's color guard presents the American Flag, and taps is played.
Students, faculty, and veterans gather on the campus in Dunmore to reflect and honor those who have served our nation for a Veterans Day ceremony.
"We have a true passion for supporting our student veterans and also students that have families active in the military. So we'd like to give back not only on this day but throughout the year," said Rob Piurowski.
"It's very nice to respect them today and show them that we care about them and that we love them and we're thankful for what they do for us," said student Daniel Becker.
About 3,000 American flags are also on display on campus. The Flags for the Fallen honor those who have died while serving our country.
"It's a sobering thing, but we do it because it's an honor," said Navy veteran Jim Wassmuth.
"It's really to just represent the impact of the sacrifice and, for many, the ultimate sacrifice of our veterans, not only our student veterans here at Marywood but also veterans of Northeast Pennsylvania," said Piurowski.
This year's guest speaker, Dr. Jeff Rutter, is an Air Force veteran and teaches a clinical psychology program at the university. Dr. Rutter believes those who struggle when they leave the military need to know that people appreciate their sacrifice. Another reason why Veterans Day is so important.
"Being validated publicly, those all mean a lot and help sort of normalize what people have to go through and the journey they sometimes have to fight to get back to some sense of normal," said Dr. Rutter.
The ceremony also honored those who are currently serving our country.