Liberty honors military graduates, heroes at special recognition ceremony
May 14, 2026 : By Logan Smith - Office of Communications & Public Engagement
Liberty University honored its military graduates, veterans, and their families at its 14th annual Military Graduate Recognition Ceremony on Thursday at Thomas Road Baptist Church.
[Watch the full Military Recognition Ceremony below]
Of the 32,000 graduates in the Class of 2026, 8,003 have military ties, including 2,958 military spouses and 2,581 active military. Thursday’s ceremony marked a record-breaking attendance of 785 military graduates and 3,771 family and friends.
Chaplain (Maj.) Brian Harvey, retired Virginia National Guard Chaplain and current Assistant Director of Liberty’s Center for Chaplaincy, said the ceremony was a time to celebrate the diligent work and sacrifice of military students and their families who stood beside them on this incredible journey.
“When faced with the demands of full and often overwhelming military life, alongside the pursuit of your education, you chose both. That is worthy of recognition,” Harvey said. “You have chosen an uncommon and admirable path, one that will shape you into a stronger leader, a faithful servant, and a man or woman capable of accomplishing the mission while genuinely caring for those entrusted to you.”
Harvey’s welcome preceded a prayer of dedication by Liberty President Dr. Dondi E. Costin, and the singing of the national anthem performed by U.S. Navy veteran and Associate Professor in Liberty’s School of Music Chief Musician Dr. Daryl Duff. He also performed a rendition of “A Hero for Today.”
This year’s keynote speaker was retired U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Tony Cothron, associate professor of government, who stood at the podium alongside his wife, retired U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Elizabeth Cothron.
Tony Cothron commended the graduates for loving their country enough to answer the call to duty.
“A culture of service builds a society which is strong, resilient, and builds people who stand up and are accountable for their actions, and they do the right thing,” he said.
“There is great evil in this world; there always has been,” he added. “But there is also love, and the Lord tells us to put our trust in Him and not to fear. In the Bible, Jesus tells us that if we follow His words, we are building our house on the rock and not the sand. In choosing to study at Liberty, you have not just gained a degree; you’ve been blessed to study your profession through a biblical worldview.”
Graduates from each branch of the U.S. Armed Forces were honored during the “Armed Forces Medley,” performed by 29th Infantry Division Band of the Virginia Army National Guard. Graduates were invited to stand as their respective branch’s anthem was played. A slideshow was displayed on the primary monitors telling the inspirational stories of over 100 of Liberty’s military graduates.
Thursday’s ceremony concluded with presentations of commemorative coins, tokens to remind graduates to remain steadfast in their sacrifice to America.
Liberty will also hold Army and Air Force ROTC Commissioning Ceremonies for graduates on Saturday at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. at the Center for Music and the Worship Arts, Concert Hall, and Thomas Road Baptist Church, respectively.
Liberty’s Commencement is taking place Thursday, Friday, and Saturday with degree presentation ceremonies held each day. The Commencement Main Ceremony is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday in Williams Stadium, featuring a keynote address from the 19th U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Scott Turner.
Liberty has a longstanding reputation of supporting active military, veterans, and their families by offering a wide variety of benefits for service members. The university was designated as a Purple Heart University in 2017 by the Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH), the first of its kind in Virginia. Liberty also offers many military benefits and scholarships for active duty, reserves, National Guard, veterans, Department of War employees, and spouses of service members and veterans and has repeatedly been designated a top military supportive college for service members and their families. For more information, visit the Office of Military Affairs webpage.
