Retired 4-star Gen. Mattis helps raise $400K-plus for MTSU veterans center

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Retired U.S. Marine four-star Gen. Jim Mattis saluted the workof the Middle Tennessee State University Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veteransand Military Family Center in helping veterans graduate from college and launchfulfilling careers. Speaking to a crowd of nearly 300 people — many of them veterans — during abreakfast fundraiser for the Daniels Center Thursday, Oct. 10, at the Hutton Hotel inNashville, Mattis, who lives in Washington state, said “we need to make sure there’ssomething like the veterans center that’s a model (for other universities to follow)and a welcoming place.” A captive audience was treated to a one-hour conversation between longtimefriends Mattis, a former U.S. secretary of defense, and Bill Frist, a former RepublicanU.S. senator, senate majority leader and heart surgeon from Nashville. To view a summary of the interview, visit https://youtu.be/i3vHSYsUuEM.The full event, including remarks by retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Keith M. Huber,MTSU’s senior adviser for veterans and leadership initiatives, emcee and MTSUalumnus Steve Smith and others is available at https://youtu.be/HiIiZO2etkI.Businesspeople from around the Midstate helped raise more than $400,000 for thecenter, event organizers said. This included $50,000 each from primary sponsorsCoreCivic Foundation and the Tennessee Valley Authority, $30,000 fromBNA/Nashville International Airport and $25,000 from Baker...