Veterans will be honored Thursday as part of Calhoun Community College’s annual Veterans Day program, according to a press release.

The event begins at 10 a.m. in the multifunction room of the Math, Science & CIS building, which is on located on Calhoun’s Huntsville campus. The event is free to the public.

Retired Lt. Col. Lawrence E. Sturges, a native of Shreveport, Louisiana, will be the event’s featured speaker. He currently serves as a financial advisor with Raymond James.

Sturges enlisted in the U.S. Army in March of 1965. He served 3 ½ years with the 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized) in Germany and at Fort Riley, Kansas. He also served with the 87th Maneuver Area Command (Army Reserve).

He has completed 15 years of service with the 3392nd U. S. Army Reserve School, retiring in May 1999, at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He has worked in the field of commercial banking for more than 31 years, and has been married for 55 years to his wife Mary. They have two children and four grandchildren.

“Each year, the college hosts this observance as a way to not only recognize veterans, but to also show support for those members of the Calhoun family that have also served the country with their service in their respective branches of the military,” said Joe Burke, Calhoun’s interim president.

In addition to Sturges’ presentation, the program will also include music from the Calhoun Chorale and a student testimonial.