Event Salutes Veterans on Campus, in Community
11/09/2021
Contact for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu
Media Advisory
When: Wednesday, Nov. 10, 11 a.m.
Where: University Crossing, 220 Pawtucket St., Lowell. Members of the media who wish to attend should contact UMass Lowell media relations for directions and parking information.
What: U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. James Carabello (ret.), a UMass Lowell graduate who grew up in North Andover, will be the featured speaker at UMass Lowell’s 12th annual Flag Ceremony to commemorate Veterans Day.
A decorated veteran, Carabello completed two combat deployments to Iraq in Operation Iraqi Freedom and four combat deployments to Afghanistan in Operation Enduring Freedom. He served in ranger, airborne, light infantry and joint service units, to include the 75th Ranger Regiment; 82nd Airborne Division; 10th Mountain Division; the Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning, Ga.; and the Joint Improvised Threat Defeat Agency in Washington, D.C.
Carabello enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1985 after receiving a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from UMass Lowell. He retired from the military in 2017 after a 32-year career, during which he was honored with the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit (oak leaf cluster), Bronze Star Medal (four oak leaf clusters), Purple Heart Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (two oak leaf clusters), Army Commendation Medal (silver leaf cluster), Valorous Unit Award (oak leaf cluster), National Defense Service Medal (with star), and Afghanistan Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary and Service medals, among other decorations.
Free and open to the public, the event salutes veterans in the community and at the university. For more than a decade, UMass Lowell has been recognized as a national leader for outstanding service to military and veteran students. Each year, more than 1,450 of them pursue a UMass Lowell education, both on campus and online while serving around the world, including posts in Africa, Iraq and Japan.
The ceremony will feature the unfurling of a three-story-tall American flag, remarks by UMass Lowell Chancellor Jacquie Moloney, a performance by the UMass Lowell Marching Band and the presentation of the colors by the UMass Lowell Air Force ROTC Detachment No. 345, which this year celebrates its 70th anniversary.