Indiana University East will honor veterans the week of November 10 with several events and activities.

The Student Veterans Organization (SVO) at IU East will have a ceremony to honor veterans with a special reading and blessing. Anyone planning to attend the ceremony, should be in front of Whitewater Hall before 1:30 p.m. for the program and for the Moment of Silence. Specialist Ben Adams, a member of the U.S. Army Reserves and IU East student, will play “Taps” near Whitewater Hall.

In coordination with the ceremony and the IU East Student Events Center Groundbreaking Ceremony, the Moment of Silence will be held immediately following the groundbreaking ceremony, approximately from 1:45-2 p.m.

Throughout the week, IU East welcomes members of the campus community to stop by Springwood Hall and sign the military “Wall of Honor” and “Thank You” banners. The banners will be available at tables in the hallway next to the Graf Center.

For the “Wall of Honor,” students, faculty and staff may bring in a photo and complete the Wall of Honor Card to honor family and friends currently serving in the military and veterans. Deliver completed forms and photos to the table outside of the Graf Center or to Campus Life. Photos should be copies as they will not be returned. Forms will be available in Campus Life or online at iue.edu/homecoming.

The “Thank You” banner will be sent to the 122nd Fighter Wing Division from Fort Wayne, Ind., the “Black Snakes,” currently serving overseas. The banner will also be available for the public to sign during the Homecoming men’s and women’s basketball games, beginning at 6 p.m. Nov. 11 at the Richmond High School Tiernan Center. During the men’s game, IU East will honor our veterans with a special salute. Veterans, active military members, and their immediate family, enter the game free.

Later in November, Andrea Carlile will visit campus. Carlile is the wife of an American service member and the author of The War that Came Home, a story of how PTSD affects not just the soldier but the family as well. Carlile will have a special campus presentation from 6-7:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 20, in Tom Raper Hall Room 124.

Carlile will be accompanied by her husband Wesley. A panel discussion including student veterans from IU East’s SVO and CPT Sarah Cline from the Indiana National Guard Office of Transition Assistance, will follow Carlile’s presentation. Carlile will sign copies of her book at the conclusion of the discussion.

Wesley Carlile is a 12-year military veteran who served in Iraq in 2003 and was diagnosed with PTSD in 2009 after a second deployment. In 2012, Carlile published her book which chronicles her journey from horror to healing as they navigated through his PTSD. She has spoken at military events, conferences, churches, and universities with efforts to educate, inspire, and raise awareness about PTSD and the issues that often result because of the disorder. Most recently, her story has been featured in a full-length documentary by Emmy award-winning producer/director Michael King. The film, When War Comes Home, is loosely based on her book and features the Carliles as they continue on their journey facing his PTSD. They offer a message of hope, healing, and the motivation that we can overcome any obstacle despite the odds against us.