On November 11 2024, campus was bustling and full of life. Students rushed to classes and assumed their daily lives… on Veterans Day. Civilian students went about as usual, while veteran students were left feeling dejected.
PLU is a Yellow Ribbon school and “has been a ‘Military Friendly School’ since 2010” but shows blatant disregard for those who have served. It’s no secret that they don’t cancel classes for the federal holiday, but for years PLU has hosted a Veterans Day event open to all on campus. Last year’s event featured the incredible Paul Berg speaking on his military experience in the Navy during the Vietnam War. He discussed how he dealt with lingering trauma from his experiences while navigating life as a student at PLU in the 1970s. This event was followed by a private reception only aimed towards the active duty and veteran students that attend PLU. Catering provided a free meal to those who have served and their plus-ones.
This year, nothing.
Many PLU vets sat at their devices waiting for an email reading “you are invited,” but received nothing of the sort.
Ten years ago, in 2014, PLU observed Veterans Month. Last year, we had Veterans Week hosted by the PLU Center for Military Support. This year, we have nothing, except the much more relevant Lute/Loot Week! Here, students can snag a free shirt and feel like a part of something. After all, civilians need to feel appreciated, too!
When interviewing a cadet from PLU’s ROTC program all they had to say was that they “feel completely disrespected,” as do many others throughout campus at this time.
Multiple members of PLU’s ROTC program share the same sentiment: pure disappointment. Even Saint Martin’s University, our neighbor and ROTC’s partnered university, had the entire day off. Mitchell Morrow, a fourth-year member of ROTC, said that the lack of acknowledgement of our veterans “hurts a lot, not only for myself but my family. We don’t have time to think about them or to celebrate what they did.”
Countless others were affected in this way as well. Across campus, many were seen calling loved ones who served and apologized for being forced to miss their special day. After all, Veterans Day has always been a time where students go home to give extra love to the veterans in their life.
Many veterans have hopes for the future and believe that PLU can redeem themselves in the coming years. Morrow stated that he “hopes this was just an oversight, just an off year.” Some give PLU the benefit of the doubt, while many stay skeptical. Now all we can do is wait.
Note From the Author: My name is Grace but at work I am Petty Officer Karns. I am a Boatswains Mate in the U.S. Coast Guard and currently operating out of Station Seattle, I work with a crew that conducts search and rescue throughout our area of responsibility in the puget sound. I have served in both the west coast in the pacific northwest and the east coast in New Jersey and Virginia. I feel very passionate about recognizing those who have served.
