EDITORIAL: Veterans deserve our utmost respect

Once again, students at the University of South Dakota were able to enjoy a free day off on Monday, Nov. 12. Now everyone spent his or her day differently, but everyone should have been aware of the reason why Nov. 12 was spent doing other activities and was not the usual busy school day.

Veterans Day is celebrated every Nov. 11 and because it fell on a Sunday this year, the closest weekday was a Federal holiday. At USD, there are plenty of students with close ties to the military or any kind of service, as well as plenty of students who have served themselves.

In celebrating Veterans Day, the Vets Club at USD hosted a variety of different events that started on Nov. 7 with a community supper at the Eagles Club.

Saturday’s football game against the University of Northern Iowa was also Military Appreciation Day, which allowed for all veterans and military personnel to attend free of charge.

The celebration of veterans continued Nov. 12 with a Veterans Day program and grand opening of the Student Veterans Resource Center on Nov. 13.

USD did a strong job of showing support to all aspects of the military in preparation for and on Veterans Day.

Students should notice the attention USD placed on recognizing veterans and military service members and follow suit. It is easy to take everything around us for granted, but when it comes to military service we should not overlook the sacrifices these men and women made for our country.

Paying even just a little respect to anyone involved with the military service goes a long way, and there is no excuse to not pay attention to those who sacrificed for the world we all live in and enjoy today.

All in all, Veterans Day may have been just another day off for some people but in the overall impact it was much more. Veterans and people that serve deserve more than recognition once a year, and to show none at all is just plain

disrespectful.