NDSU hosts a ceremony to honor its Veterans

The ceremony was complete with a flag-raising, and the playing of taps by members of the NDSU ROTC. It’s a practice that’s been going on for several years.

Jim Stoddard, assistant director of veterans educational training, said, “It is a long-standing tradition of course to have a ceremony honoring our veterans here at NDSU in various forms over the years. It’s evolved and changed what we do”

There are currently hundreds of students in the ROTC, or Reserve Officer Training Corps program who are set to enroll in the military when they graduate. “So we have approximately 370 veteran and or other military connected students just this semester on campus.”, said NDSU President David Cook. He also said, “When I heard that I was very proud. That’s a pretty good number”

Veterans Day, is a time to honor those who gave up their time to serve their country instead of being with their families, potentially missing family milestones such as births and deaths of loved ones. Steven Giddens, US army veteran and reverend, said, “Whether it was a training deployment or a combat deployment, we missed our lives at home.”

Giddens also said, “We gave up hopes and dreams that either ourselves or our families wanted for us, in pursuit of something more”

Veterans’ Day is held each year on November 11 to coincide with the same date day in 1918, when fighting stopped during World War I.