The City of Asheville will once again honor our local Veterans with a Veterans Day Ceremony on November 11. Due to health precautions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the public is invited to participate virtually.
The Veterans Day ceremony can be viewed online on the City of Asheville YouTube channel. The program will begin at 11 a.m. The keynote speaker is Dr. Laura Tugman, Ph.D., Chief of Mental Health Services at Charles George VA Medical Center. Dr. Tugman is an Army Veteran enlisted from 1991-1995, where she served as a psychiatric specialist. Her experience and training in the Army became the catalyst for her life’s work to help fellow Veterans struggling with mental health issues. Dr. Tugman has served at the Charles George VA Medical Center since 2013. Also, the Director of Charles George VA Medical Center, Stephanie Young will speak about caring for those who have borne the battle. The ceremony will also include two readings from the Brothers and Sisters Like These, a Veterans writing group that promotes healing war wounds. The readers will be Jim Hernandez, US Air Force, Pilot Vietnam, who dedicates his piece to an Air Force pilot who got killed in Vietnam. Also, Steve Henderson, US Marine Corps, Vietnam will honor a Marine sniper in Vietnam who recently passed away.
Buncombe County Veterans Council, the City of Asheville, Buncombe County, and Charles George, VA are the co-sponsors of this event.
For further information, please contact:.
Allan Perkal, Chair Buncombe county Veterans Council
Board of Directors, Vietnam Veterans of America, North Carolina State Council
