Celebrating Suffolk’s Veterans

Annual observance salutes values of freedom and service

Suffolk University celebrated its veterans community at the Ninth Annual Veterans Day Luncheon on November 7.

The event’s keynote speaker, US Navy veteran Jay Tangney, JD '96, Suffolk Construction's executive vice president and general counsel and member of the Suffolk Law Dean's Cabinet, spoke about the universality of enduring national values like freedom, service, and commitment to the United States.

Tangney said he found this year’s Veterans Day observance especially meaningful because his 23-year-old son, Coltan, is preparing to enter the US Army as a second lieutenant.

“I think about Veterans Day and we always come back to the flag and what it represents, and what it represents for all of us as a country,” said Tangney. “I don't think the flag should ever represent one political party. It's a symbol of our freedom, an opportunity for us to come together and recognize that the veterans in the room and around the world are the people who gave us that right.”

 “Every American has a connection to the military that should be celebrated, whether or not we served in it,” he said.

Tangney, who is responsible for overseeing the Boston-based construction firm's legal team and national ethics and compliance program, credited Suffolk Law School’s evening program for being the first step towards his appointment as an officer and judge advocate in the United States Navy.

“That was the beginning of a journey that I'm still on, and I'm incredibly thankful for.  When I was here in the mid-1990s most of the local colleges and universities didn't permit military recruiting on campus, but Suffolk Law did, and as a result, at the time, we had more active duty judge advocates in the Navy and Marine Corps than any other law school.”

Alumni- and student-veterans gather with University leaders after the event.
Alumni- and student-veterans gather with University leaders after the event.

A separate table in honor of POWs and missing service members

Navy veteran Andrew DiDuca, a second-year student at Suffolk law and vice president of the Suffolk Law Veterans Association, led the group that included more than a dozen current student-veterans in a special toast honoring prisoners of war and missing service members.

“The tradition of setting a separate table in honor of our prisoners of war and missing comrades has been in place since the end of the Vietnam War. The manner in which this table is decorated is full of special symbols to help us remember our brothers and sisters in arms,” DiDuca said, gesturing to a small round table, prepared with symbolic items such as a single chair, black napkin, and solitary red rose. 

In his closing remarks, Trustee Board Chair Robert C. Lamb, Jr., a US Army veteran and Airborne and Ranger programs graduate, described how veterans bring diversity and an important sense of volunteerism that has enriched the Suffolk University community.

“Let me also thank you for making our educational process better. You helped support diversity in our classroom. As you brought your military experience to your discussions with classmates and our dedicated faculty members, your views and experiences helped other students, all who come from different backgrounds, to better understand the lessons you learned while serving our country.”

Suffolk is proud to be recognized as a gold-level Military Friendly School, as well as the only university in Massachusetts with a Veterans Upward Bound program.

Lamb gave his thanks to the dozens of younger Suffolk veterans gathered in the room. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your sacrifices and services,” he said. 

Contact

Greg Gatlin
Office of Public Affairs
617-573-8428

Erica Noonan
Office of Public Affairs
774-286-9528