WKU celebrates Veterans Day

Trey Crumbie

Tuesday is Veterans Day, a holiday that honors those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. WKU organizations, such as the Student Veterans Alliance and ROTC, will be hosting events throughout the week in honor of the holiday.

On Monday, the SVA hosted “Hot Wings and Heroes,” a fundraising event at Buffalo Wild Wings on Scottsville Road. The event served to help send members of the organization to the national conference in January.

On Tuesday, ROTC will host a wreath-laying ceremony at 11 a.m. at Guthrie Bell Tower to honor veterans and their sacrifice. A reception will follow in the ROTC office located in Diddle Arena, Room 1512.

On Friday, SVA will host Heroes Behind the Hornet’s Nest in Downing Student Union, Room 2124. The event includes a screening of “The Hornet’s Nest,” a film about war in Afghanistan using authentic footage.

Russellville senior Daniel Collins, president of SVA, said the event would include guest speakers, who will talk about the difficulties some veterans experience, such as post-traumatic stress disorder and transitioning back to civilian life.

WKU was named to the 2015 list of Military Friendly® Schools by Victory Media, which recognizes schools that “have gone above and beyond to provide transitioning veterans the best possible experience in higher education,” according to militaryfriendly.com.

Collins said he is happy with the services veteran students receive through the programs on campus, such as Veterans Upward Bound and Military Student Services, which provide free textbooks and a therapy dog named CanDoo. However, WKU still has to improve in other areas, such as providing enough physical space for veterans.

“We don’t have adequate facilities,” he said. “Where we’re at in Tate Page Hall is substandard.”