Although the forecast calls for showers, the weather won”t matter during the wreath-laying ceremony outside the front steps of the Memorial Gym Wednesday.
The Veterans Day ceremony, set for 11:11 a.m. sharp, will honor and recognize all those who have served in the U.S. military.
“We do that because we know that Veterans have served all over the world in all kinds of temperature and climate extremes and they have fought and died in those same extremes,” said Daniel Button, University of Idaho veterans adviser. “We believe that it is only appropriate for us to conduct the ceremony outside regardless of the elements of the weather.”
Button said during the five years he has been at UI, he has been continuously involved with coordinating and advertising Veterans Day events.
Veteran Aaron Torres said he will likely be spending Veterans Day working on homework.
File photo Nick Groff | Argonaut
Members of the University of Idaho Army ROTC present the colors for the National Anthem before kick-off at a Vandals game in 2011 for Military Appreciation Day. The Veterans Day wreath-laying ceremony will start at 11:11 a.m. Wednesday at the Memorial Gym.
Torres, 25, said he served in the U.S. Army for four years and now is hoping to get his degree in business.
“I don”t like to think of it as just being my day,” Torres said of Veterans Day. “It”s for all of the brothers and sisters who have done their service for the country.”
Torres said he was deployed to Iraq during his time in the Army and was a part of the Airborne Infantry.
The UI campus has a tight-knit community of veterans, and Torres said he has become close with many people since he started spending time at the Office of Veterans Assistance.
“It”s somewhere you can hide out and be away from the hustle and bustle of people,” Torres said. “It”s a little slice of heaven.”
Torres said he often spends time in the veterans office working on homework or talking to other veterans.
Cole Julson, who served in the Marines, said he has made many friends with other veterans on campus through the veterans office and through joining other organizations, such as the Veterans of Foreign War (VFW).
“There are just some things that are way easier to talk to those guys about because they were there with me,” Julson said.
Julson, 28, joined the Marines in 2009 and was deployed to Afghanistan twice before he finished his active service in 2013. Julson is working on his degree in forestry resources and fire ecology, and like Torres, said he will also likely be doing homework during Veterans Day.
Button, who served in the U.S. Marines for 30 years and used his GI Bill to graduate from UI, said the ROTC Departments will host a 5k Fun Run 6 a.m. Wednesday before wreath-laying ceremony at the SpinTurf Practice Facility in honor of Veterans Day. The Fun Run is open to any community member and does not require a fee or registration, Button said.
“This year we have had some individual initiatives that I am extremely grateful for from various organizations like the ROTC departments, the Greek community and the President”s Office,” Button said.
Button said there will also be a Veterans Appreciation Dinner at 5:30-8 p.m. Wednesday in the International Ballroom in the Bruce Pitman Center.
The dinner is free for any veteran and they can bring one guest free of charge. Other community members may attend, but will be asked to pay a $10 fee, Button said.
“We”re extremely pleased and honored this year to have Colonel Donald L. Burnett Jr. as our guest speaker at the dinner,” Button said.
Kelsie Walton, who served in the Navy for four years, said she and her husband occasionally attend the Veterans Dinner, but she will be staying home to relax on Veterans Day.
Walton, 25, is a sophomore at the University of Idaho working towards her degree in animal science.
“It”s nice to know that we have a day dedicated to us,” Walton said, “Even if people don”t celebrate the occasion, Veterans are on their mind.”
While ROTC student Robert Hopman has not yet served in the military, he said he has wanted to be a Marine since he was a child and looks forward to being able to serve his country.
Hopman has been inspired by many of his friends who are currently in the military and said Veterans Day is a great way to recognize them.
“I believe Veterans Day is extremely important so we can thank all of those who have served,” Hopman said. “Especially to honor the ones who have paid the ultimate price.”
Jessica Gee can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @jaycgeek