The NIU Veterans Club will be holding a ceremony to honor all veterans at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Veterans Memorial Flagpole by the East Lagoon.

About 100 people are expected to attend the ceremony, said Jennifer Webster, president of the Veterans Club.

Webster said the Veterans Club has been on campus for 50 years and has held this event for nearly as many years as it has been on campus.

The ceremony’s color guard and rifle team will be provided by the ROTC.

“Veterans Day is a national holiday worthy of celebration,” Webster said. “A campus ceremony provides a convenient opportunity for students to show their respect for military veterans and reconnect with their patriotism.”

Three people will be speaking about veterans and the organization itself.

Dr. Eddie Williams, executive vice president and chief operating officer at NIU and captain in the U.S. Naval Reserves, will speak about the sacrifices of the past and the necessary commitments for the future.

LTC Craig Engel, the new chair of the Department of Military Science, will pay tribute to the veterans of the past and present and look at the veterans of the future.

Mark Mueller, former NIU Veterans Club president and Gulf War veteran, will be speaking about the organization and its contribution to the campus.

The Rev. Dwight Gorbold of the Judson Baptist Fellowship will provide the benediction.

Near the end of the ceremony, the names of veterans and those serving overseas will be read. Webster said students can add names by going to their Web site, www.niuveteransclub.org.

Maurice Walls, a music major and recent Army veteran, will play “Taps” to end the ceremony.

The NIU Veterans Club will also collect donations for “Dear Soldier” holiday care packages for service men and women overseas from DeKalb at the University Bookstore through Thursday.

Individuals can either bring in the various items needed for the care package, or they can purchase them at the bookstore and donate them on the spot.

The drive ends at 6 p.m. Thursday, after which the items will be taken to American Legion Post 66, 1204 S. Fourth St., Webster said.

Money donations are also welcome, Webster said. If anyone would like to make a donation, contacting Webster would be the best way to do so.

“Financial donations will be used for shipping costs or purchasing things that are on our list that were not donated,” she said.

The donation drive is part of a monthly effort by local veterans organizations to send packages to DeKalb personnel overseas.

The items on the list of needed materials include books, magazines, stamps, powdered Kool-Aid or Gatorade and other non-perishable food items.