The Veterans Appreciation Breakfast and Resource Fair, UToledo’s annual event to recognize area veterans, is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 11, in Savage Arena.

Doors will open at 8 a.m.; the program begins at 9 a.m. All veterans and their families are invited to the free breakfast and resource fair.

The event, now in its 17th year, is a collaboration between UToledo, American Red Cross and the Lucas County Veterans Service Commission.

Dr. Mike Toole, dean of the UToledo College of Engineering and a veteran of the U.S. Navy, will provide welcoming remarks.

“The University of Toledo is proud to have 443 students who served their nation in the armed forces and have returned to campus to secure an education that will provide opportunities for a successful career as a veteran civilian,” Toole said. “We also have 57 veterans in the making — that is, the ROTC cadets who are taking UToledo classes while also undergoing training year-round.”

Maj. Brian Hubert of the U.S. Marine Corps will give the keynote address.

Hubert attended basic officer training and infantry officer training before reporting to 2^nd Battalion, 1^st Marines in Camp Pendelton, Calif., serving as the 81mm Mortar Platoon Commander and Weapons Company Executive Officer deploying on the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit supporting operations in the Pacific.

His deployments include Operation Enduring Freedom to Yemen, where he served with the 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, and Operation Freedom’s Sentinel to Afghanistan, where he served with the 6th Marine Regiment with Task Force Southwest as a Joint Terminal Attack Controller and Battle Captain. Currently, he is serving as commanding officer of the Marine Recruiting Station in Cleveland.

His awards and decorations include a Meritorious Service Medal, Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medal, and three Navy/ Marine Corps Achievement Medals.

“On Veterans Day, the United States pays tribute to all veterans who have served or are serving in the U.S. Armed Forces,” said Charles Hiser, executive director of the Lucas County Veterans Service Commission. “A veteran is someone who has given up years of their life to serve in the military, and the 17^th annual Veterans Day Breakfast and Resource Fair is one way locally we can show veterans our support.”

In addition to the free breakfast, local veterans and members of the military and their families will have access to more than 30 military-friendly community resources.

The program will feature entertainment by Gabriel Hagedorn, a UToledo student and pianist, and fourth-graders from Waterville Primary School.

Members of the Rossford High School S.O.S. (Serving Our Soldiers) Club will greet and assist veterans through the breakfast line.

Free parking will be available in lots 3, 5 and 6 near Savage Arena.

For more information on the event, contact the UToledo Office of Special Events at 419.530.2200 or specialevents@utoledo.edu.