Howard University’s Office of Military and Veterans Services (OMVS) held its inaugural Red, White & Bison Ball honoring military connected students and alumni Oct. 23, during this year’s 101st Homecoming season. 

Officially launching Howard’s Student Veterans of America (SVA) Chapter in 2023, and having since established its Center of Excellence for Veterans Student Success, the office’s support extends to all those who’ve served — including veterans, those with prior service or who are active duty, reservists, members of the National Guard and ROTC, and retirees, as well as their families — as they pursue their educational goals.    

The office acts as a liaison between the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the university, processing federal Veterans Affairs (VA) education benefits, certifying VA enrollments, and advising on procedural requirements in addition to providing services and resources for student veterans and those who are military-connected. 

“We have about 700 students who are military connected right now,” explained Director of the Office of Student Services Paris L. Adon, Ed.D. “That includes veterans, spouses, and military children. So about 700 students are using military benefits to help pay to pay for your education here at Howard.” 

The First, But Not the Last 

According to Adon, the ball is a way to honor students and alum, get the military-connected community to come together, and “raise a little bit of money.” The office received a $580,000 federal grant in 2023 , and with it has been able to improve and grow the services it provides substantially. In recent years, it’s also developed the Center of Excellence for Veteran Student Success, SVA Chapter, and more.

“Over the last few years, I have had the privilege to witness the incredible transformation of the Office of Military and Veterans Services,” said Associate Vice President of Student Affairs Glen Vinson, speaking on the significance of the first Red, White & Bison Ball. “And tonight, it’s about honoring that spirit. It’s about recognizing where we began, celebrating how far we’ve come, and looking ahead to an even brighter future for our military and veteran excellence here at Howard.” 

During the event several students were awarded with scholarships, including the president of the university’s SVA chapter, Marcedi Phillips, a political science and English double major. Philips was on hand alongside former SVA chapter president Trina Quirindongo(MBA ’23) to make introductions and honor faculty members and students.

“Tonight, we’re celebrating our military-connected students,” said Phillips, going on to note that the purpose of the evening was to acknowledge the hard work of her classmates who serve, making sure that they are not only awarded, but seen. 

“The whole purpose of the Office of Military and Veterans Services is to help dependents and current members,” added Quirindongo. “I currently serves in the D.C. Air National Guard, and I was a member of the Air Force while attending Howard. So this organization is so important because they actually help to support dependents, current members, and those who are military affiliated.” 

She went on to acknowledge the scholarships provided by the organization and the importance of showing the work and dedication of those who serve while pursuing an education, which further illustrates and proves this year’s “One of One” Homecoming theme. 

“One of one is being that we are all connected in one shape, form, or another,” began Quirindongo, who comes back to campus to “pour into” current students, including Phillips who holds her previous SVA position. “We collaborate; we talk — she tells me about her troubles; I tell her where she can grow — it’s about mentorship. Each one, teach one,” she continued. “We go further supporting each other, we go further believing in one another and supporting events like this, so that we can come back and celebrate and really just acknowledge those who are still continuing with the torch.” 

During the evening, which included time to celebrate all of the service members in attendance, several distinguished individuals spoke, including the Student Veterans of America National President and CEO Jared Lyon. 

“I was really pleased to see tonight’s event called the inaugural, because it means the first, and is setting a new tradition here at Howard. It’s an evening where we have the opportunity to welcome back to this beautiful and storied campus current service members, veterans, their family members, caregivers, and survivors,” said Lyons, welcoming them “home” before reflecting on his own educational and military journey. He joined the Navy in August of 2001, with the events of September 11 happening while he was in basic training. 

“It would shape not only the nature of my service, but the service of millions of my generation and continues today,” he said, before speaking on the impact service members make on their institutions of learning, and vice versa. “When we come to places that become our alma maters like Howard as military, military family members, caregivers, and survivors, we’re setting and charting a new course. We are taking what we did, and we’re turning it into who we will become, and that is what the incredible SVA Chapter has done here at Howard.”

Other speakers included staff from the OMVS office, like Assistant Director Katesha Goodson and Veteran Affairs Coordinator Gregory Manora, as well as Senior Vice President of Student Affairs Dr. Cynthia Evers and Provost and Chief Academic Officer Anthony K. Wutoh, Ph.D., R.Ph.

“The freedom that we all enjoy is not free,” said Provost Wutoh. “It really has come at a cost, and part of that cost is the commitment and the service and the sacrifice that members of our military community have made. I want to acknowledge and thank you for that service. Thank you for your sacrifice.” 

He continued, “I want to thank our students for the commitment that they are entering into. Just know that Howard University does not take for granted the sacrifice that you have made and that you continue to make every day, to allow us to be free.” 

Students were given awards in several categories, including advocacy, student leadership, service and impact, innovation, perseverance, and more. SVA President Marcedi Phillips was awarded the Bison Warrior Scholar of the Year Award. She and fellow Bison Soya Pearson and Kandice Withers received a $2,500 National Veteran Leadership Foundation MCA Scholarship. 

Student Honorees and Award Winners: 

• Military Community Advocate award — Russel Langham Jr. ($250)
• Exemplary Student Leader Award — Ajia Gaines ($500)
• University Service & Impact award — Xavier Rodriguez ($500)
• Academic Excellence and Innovation Award — MeKinley Brooks ($500)
• Resilience and Perseverance Award — Destiney Duerson ($750)
• Patch and Coin Design Winner — Armani Bostic ($1,000)
• Bison Warrior Scholar of the Year Award — Marcedi Phillips ($1,000)
• National Veteran Leadership Foundation MCA Scholarship — Marcedi Phillips, Soya Pearson, and Kandice Withers ($2,500) 

An Honor to Celebrate and Give Back 

When asked why it was important to be at the ball, Colonel Junel Jeffrey (B.A. ’99) emphasized the importance of coming and giving back to a university who gave her so much. 

“I owe so much, really everything I am today, to ROTC and specifically to university ROTC,” said Jeffrey. “It’s important not only to come back, but to also remain present. I wanted to make sure I was here tonight just to support the program, support the students, and to let them know I’m here.” 

In addition to honoring students and alumni who serve or served throughout the night, a special honor was presented to Brigadier General Ronald Sullivan (BBA ’93) by Major Remoshay Nelson (B.A. ’11) — the first Black female officer to serve in the  U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds squadron who was also the first to receive the honor from OMVS in 2024. SVP Evers described Nelson’s groundbreaking achievement and journey as a “testament to hard work and resilience; inspiring us and future generations to reach new heights and break barriers.” 

Nelson began her speech saying it’s “always nice to be home,” applauding the university for not only celebrating but embracing its military community. She also spoke to students in the room about the importance of building that community and network and the opportunity Howard is giving them to do so, before going on to list all the reasons General Sullivan — the third Black army soldier to hold that specific United States Army Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) role as a General Officer — deserves a place of honor next to her own on the OMVS Wall of Honor. 

“Tonight, as I come home, I also get to extend my hand to welcome someone else home, and that is the second honoree of the Veterans Resource Center, Brigadier General Ronald Sullivan,” she began, detailing his distinguished service in the U.S. Army. “In 2021, he made history as the first Howard University ROTC alumnus, and third Black Army soldier to attain the rank of General Officer in the elite JAG court,” said Nelson, welcoming him onstage to receive the night’s honor. 

Beginning his acceptance speech by listing service members by name and rank who inspired his journey, as their photos were present on the walls when he was a cadet, Sullivan said the honor was “not a light one,” due to the history of the institution that presented it to him. 

“This is a university with a history that dates back to 1867 and an ROTC presence that dates back to 1918,” he said. “This is a very big honor, and I accept it with the most humility.” 

A Legacy (and a Future) of Service 

Sullivan and Nelson join an illustrious list of Howard alumni who have served the United States through military service. This includes  Major General Frederic Davison (B.A.,’38, M.A.’40), the first Black man to achieve the Army’s highest permanent peacetime ranking and to command an Army division, and Togo West (B.A. ’65, J.D. ’68), the first Black permanent Secretary of the Army and Secretary of Veterans Affairs. 

During his speech, Sullivan highlighted Howard’s rich military history, including mention of the very namesake of his university, noting the commitment to serve and defend that all those who wear the various uniforms signifying their service make to this country. 

Major General Oliver Otis Howard, a native of Maine and a graduate of Bowdoin College and West Point, was appointed Commissioner of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands (the Freedmen’s Bureau) in 1865, which brought him to Washington, D.C. The Army war hero would go on to help establish the First Congregational Church of Washington, and in 1867, 11 members of the church worked to establish a seminary to train African American ministers. Howard was a part of these discussions, which eventually expanded to include additional fields of study, turning the idea for a school into one for a university. The name Howard University was presented as a way to honor General Howard, and on March 2, 1867, the 39th U.S. Congress approved the charter to incorporate the university. 

This legacy is well-represented in the students and alumni who serve or have served, while pursuing an education at Howard University, and the OMVS is there to support them, with plans to take its programming, initiatives, and SVA Chapter to the next level. 

“We want to be the number one university for military connected students,” said Adon. “We’re not there yet, but we’re working to do that, and the way we’re going to do that is continue our outreach efforts with SVA.”