UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State will celebrate its 10th annual Military Appreciation Week by honoring the Pennsylvania National Guard with in-person and virtual festivities for University and local community members, including military families and those who serve or have served in the U.S. armed forces.
The series of events will kick off on Nov. 11 with a slate of Veterans Day programming and will conclude on Nov. 20 with a tailgate celebration in the Bryce Jordan Center on the University Park campus followed by the Penn State football game against Rutgers in Beaver Stadium. Select events also will be offered virtually to give all community members, including those at Penn State’s campuses, an opportunity to participate.
“For the past decade, Penn State has proudly honored the service and sacrifice of service members, veterans and military families with a special weeklong celebration. Without the support of students, faculty, staff and community volunteers, Military Appreciation Week would not have grown into the annual University tradition it is today,” said Col. Eugene McFeely, senior director for Veterans Affairs and Services and chair of Penn State’s Military Appreciation Committee.
The University’s annual military appreciation celebrations have been among the largest of their kind in the Big Ten year after year. Penn State Military Appreciation began in 2012 with a donation of 100 football tickets to veterans and service members and has continued to expand over the years — with more than 500 volunteers and 7,000 tickets donated in 2019 through the Seats for Servicemembers program.
“This year, our military appreciation festivities will celebrate the members of the Pennsylvania National Guard, who are among the many Pennsylvanians who stepped up in special ways to serve the citizens of the commonwealth during this COVID-19 pandemic,” McFeely said.
At Penn State, there is a vibrant community of students, faculty and staff members who are currently members of the National Guard.
The Pennsylvania National Guard, which was established by Benjamin Franklin in 1747 to defend the colony, is comprised of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard and Army National Guard and continues to serve communities across the commonwealth and the United States. Throughout the pandemic, members, including trained medical specialists, have aided in a variety of efforts, including assisting food banks, delivering meals and food to distribution centers, and supporting COVID-19 testing and vaccination sites across the state.