Seminole State College honors U.S. Military at Veterans Day celebration

Photo: Seminole County Supervisor of Elections and Army Veteran Chris Anderson was the guest speaker. (Photo by Courtney Kiefer, Seminole State College)

Seminole State College of Florida honored members of the armed forces Monday, Nov. 11, during the annual Veterans Day Ceremony.

View photos from the ceremony.

The ceremony, hosted by Seminole State’s Veterans Affairs Office and the Office of Student Life, included the presentation of colors by the Winter Springs High School Army Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) and the singing of the National Anthem and the Armed Forces salute by SeminoleSound.

Seminole County Supervisor of Elections and U.S. Army Veteran Chris Anderson was the guest speaker. He shared memories of his service in the Army and how we need to always remember the service men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. “We must remember the dreams of our fallen veterans and of those who still can bear arms. The dream that moving forward, we make the future of this great country much brighter than the battlefields behind,” said Anderson.

During the ceremony, the Foundation for Seminole State College awarded the endowed scholarship honoring fallen Marine Sgt. Mark Johnson IV to Taeed Foroughi, who is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in construction. Originally from Iran, Foroughi immigrated to the United States 10 years ago.   He joined the United States Army in 2012 and served four years as a translator at Fort Polk, Louisiana.

“Standing here and sharing the same uniform as heroes like Sgt. Johnson, who gave the ultimate sacrifice, is an honor and I take pride in that every day when I wake up,’ said Foroughi.

Johnson, a married father of two, was one of six Marines killed in a helicopter crash while on a mission to help Nepal earthquake victims in May 2015. He grew up in Altamonte Springs, earned an Associate in Science (A.S.) in Automotive Service Management Technology in 2005 and an Associate in Arts (A.A.) in December 2008. He joined the military in early 2009.

Donate to the Sgt. Mark Johnson IV Endowed Memorial Scholarship or call the Foundation at 407.708.4571. 

Seminole State has been recognized as a Military Friendly School for its strong commitment to the success of not only veterans and active duty service members who attend Seminole State, but also their spouses and children who take classes on our campuses.

Over the past five years, Seminole State has awarded credentials to 19 active duty military students, 892 veterans, 104 students who serve in the reserve forces, and 302 spouses and children of veterans.

The College has been designated a premier Purple Heart Institution by the Military Order of the Purple Heart in recognition of the College’s support of military members, including veterans and their families and has been awarded the Department of Defense - Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Above and Beyond Award for its support of an employee who was recalled to active duty.