The Office of Veteran Student Services at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and the Student Veteran Organization collaborated to honor veterans Memorial Day weekend with posters of fallen friends/comrades. There were a total of eight poster submissions, and each poster is of someone with whom a student veteran has served who has since passed on. Some have made the ultimate sacrifice while serving in operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan).
Others have served and lost the battle at home while suffering from various issues such as PTSD and depression. These issues have caused many veterans to commit suicide after their service. Currently 22 veterans commit suicide everyday in the U.S.
“For the student veterans who participated today, Memorial Day is not about the beginning of summer and BBQs,” said Office of Veteran Student Services Director Kenith H. Scott. “It’s about honoring those who have served and passed on, and we are here to remember those who hold the burden of our freedom.”
The Office of Veteran Student Services and the Student Veteran Organization plans to do this every Memorial Day. The posters are made and submitted during the spring semester. Following the spring semester, student veterans who are on campus for summer session assist in the installation and break down. The Office of Veteran Student Services and the Student Veteran Organization welcomes all students, faculty and staff to participate if they know of a veteran they would like to honor.
For more information, email the Office of Veteran Student Services, ovss@hawaii.edu or the Student Veteran Organization, svouhm@hawaii.edu.
