SANFORD - Veterans Day was observed on Thursday, Nov. 10, at the Central Carolina Community College Lee Main Campus. The event took place in front of the Dennis A. Wicker Civic Center.

The speakers were Frank R. Bedoe Sr., who is CCCC Director of Campus Security and Safety, and Michael J. Morris, a current CCCC student.

"Many life lessons were learned during that time," said Bedoe, who was an E-5 Sgt. serving in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1967-70. During that time, he served in Vietnam. "I learned loyalty. I learned leadership. I learned discipline. I learned teamwork. I learned perseverance. I learned how to adapt. And I learned what brotherhood meant."

Morris, Ret. First Sergeant, who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan), noted that he is overwhelmed with the realities of what veterans have faced and what selfless service truly means. "Veterans Day, to me, is about honor," he said. "It's serving our country, community, and our family."

Colonel (Ret.) Ronald Rabin, who serves as a member of the North Carolina Senate, provided opening remarks. "What the Army did for me most is make me appreciate what a great country this is and how much we owe to our country," said Rabin. "Our country is a great, great country. I learned more and more about it as I fought for it and I hold it more and more dear. There is no country in the world as great as the United States of America."

The Master of Ceremony was Richard C. Biggs, MSgt., U.S. Air Force Retired, who served for 22 years. He was a C-130 Flight Engineer who served in Desert Shield/Desert Storm and currently serves as an instructor in CCCC's Information Technology program.

Members of the Southern Lee High School JROTC program participated in the ceremony.

"Central Carolina Community College is part of a network of community colleges that support our veterans and understand that as they transition out of the military that many times they're looking for a way to increase their educational knowledge to move into the workforce," said Dr. T. Eston Marchant, CCCC President. "We have a lot of veterans who attend here and we have a lot of veterans who are employed here at Central Carolina Community College -- and we're very proud to be known as a veterans-friendly college."

The event was organized through a joint effort between CCCC's Military Veteran Task Force and the Veterans Upward Bound TRiO Program. Veterans Upward Bound (VUB) is an educational program for veterans funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, and serves 125 veterans in Chatham, Harnett, Lee, Johnston, and Wake counties in their preparation for college entrance.

For more information about Veterans Upward Bound, visit the website www.cccc.edu/vub.