College to Honor Veterans at Annual Luncheon

Release date: October 28, 2012

Franklin College will host its 7th annual Veterans Day Luncheon and Lecture on Friday, Nov. 9 at 11:30 a.m. in the Branigin Room of the Napolitan Student Center. The guest speaker will be First Lieutenant, Jesse Hoffman of the Indiana National Guard, Charlie Company Executive Officer 2-151 Infantry Battalion. Hoffman is also a Franklin College alumnus, graduating in 2009.

Hoffman's lecture, "Citizen Soldier," will focus on his experience as a student at Franklin College while also serving in the Indiana National Guard. He will share information about his multiple deployments to various parts of the world, including his deployment to Iraq as one of the first to participate in "Operation Iraqi Freedom."

Hoffman has 10 years of experience serving in the military. He has received numerous decorations and badges, including the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, the Bronze Star Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Award, the Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Humanitarian Service Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, the Non-Commissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, the Army Service Ribbon, the NATO Medal, the Combat Infantry Badge, the Air Assault Badge, the Parachutist Badge, the Pathfinder Badge, the Armed Forces Reserve Medal with M Device and the Overseas Service Ribbon. Hoffman is affiliated with AMVETS and with the National Infantry Association as a Lifetime Member.

The cost for the luncheon is $10 per person for the general public. Cost for veterans, active duty military, Franklin College alumni, employees, trustees and students is $5 per person. Guests must reserve seating no later than Wednesday, Nov. 7 by calling the Office of Marketing and Communications at (317) 738-8185.

Founded in 1834, Franklin College is a residential four-year undergraduate liberal arts institution with a scenic, wooded campus located 20 minutes south of downtown Indianapolis. The college prepares men and women for challenging careers and fulfilling lives through the liberal arts, offering its approximately 1,000 students 28 majors, 36 minors and eight pre-professional programs. In 1842, the college began admitting women, becoming the first coeducational institution in Indiana and the seventh in the nation. Franklin College maintains a voluntary association with the American Baptist Churches USA. For more information, visit www.franklincollege.edu.