Submitted column: USD honors fallen veterans with flag display

Spring is a time where we start anew with the warm weather and sunny days, promising growth and an ambitious year.

Before we can celebrate this season of moving forward, we must first take a look back at the lives of those who made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure our growth and prosperity in the years to come.

Coming up April 14-18 the USD Veteran’s Club, co-sponsored by the Student Veteran Resource Center (SVRC) and the Veterans Legal Group (VLEG), will  host a Flag Display honoring fallen South Dakota heroes. Each evening at 6 p.m. the ceremony will begin on the lawn north of Old Main with the reading of an autobiography of a fallen hero.

Following the autobiography, the names of other service members who made the ultimate sacrifice will be read. For each name read an American flag will be planted in the ground. The playing of taps will conclude the ceremony each night.

All students and faculty are invited and encouraged to attend the ceremonies. Volunteering to read names and plant flags is accepted and encouraged if individuals desire to do so. There is no better way to start the season of new beginnings like honoring and remembering the lives lost in service for our country.

– Christian Hagen, workstudy student at the Student Veteran Resource Center