SANFORD - Veterans were saluted on Thursday, Nov. 9, at Central Carolina Community College in a program held at the Dennis A. Wicker Civic Center.

John Sauls, who serves as a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives, said that he is proud to be an American. "Many have laid down their lives, laid down their futures, so that you and I could live free - and I don't take it for granted," he said. "I'm so thankful. I don't care what's going on in America, but we live in the greatest country in the world and I thank God for the freedom that we enjoy and the sacrifices of those who have given it."

Also speaking were Jeri Graham, Colonel, USA, Ret.; Lt. Col. Ernest A. McIntyre Jr., U.S. Army (Ret.), Southern Lee High School JROTC Commander; Stanley Thompson, CCCC Motorcycle Mechanics Lead Instructor; and Matt Thewes, CCCC Veterans Upward Bound Program Director. Each of them spoke about their military experiences.

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 proud to be a veteran-serving institution, both in terms of our employees and our students," said Dr. T. Eston Marchant, CCCC President. "We understand and appreciate the sacrifice that veterans have made to make this country what it is."

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 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.