Purdue Veterans Day ceremony honors service and sacrifice at Memorial Union

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Purdue University held a Veterans Day ceremony in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union to honor those who have served and remember those who died in the line of duty.

The Purdue Veteran and Military Success Center, housed in the union, hosted the ceremony. Center Director Bryan Arbic said the building’s history makes it a fitting place for the gathering.

“Those students that returned from World War I wanted to memorialize the 67 of their classmates that didn’t return and so they began that effort to create a union space and it’s dedicated as a memorial union. This building was built for this purpose: to honor those that sacrificed for us and so this is the only place that makes any sense to do it,” Arbic said.

Arbic served in the U.S. Army for 22 years. He said talking about the sacrifices involved in military service can help others understand what service members experience.

“I think there are a lot of folks that don’t truly understand all that goes into military service. Going through basic training or boot camp, there’s a stripping of the individual identity and replacement of kind of a warrior mentality and a military identity. There are a lot of things that happen.”

The ceremony opened with songs from the Purduettes. Several Purdue students then spoke about their experiences serving and their personal connections to Veterans Day.

The ceremony closed with the playing of taps and the display of a table of remembrance. The table remained untouched as a tribute to those whose lives have been lost, with wine glasses turned over to symbolize the inability to give or receive a toast.

“If we don’t carry on those traditions and honor those events and those people, something’s going to get lost so it’s part of my responsibility to honor my forefathers and prepare the generations behind me to take my place someday,” Arbic said.

Outside the union, Purdue students with connections to veterans had planted 715 flags. After the ceremony, many attendees planted flags of their own to remember those who served before them.