PSU Remembers Veterans

Members of the PSU community collected in the Veteran’s Common across from Hyde Hall Mon., Nov., 10.

The event began with the Pledge of Allegiance, and generations of veterans, along with members of the ROTC program, could be picked out from the crowd. The crowd listened intently as Georgia Noonan performed the National Anthem, followed by an opening prayer led by campus minister Kathy Tardif.

After a brief message from Vice President Dr. James Hundrieser, the audience cheered as they welcomed Captain Richard Cobb, ROTC leader. Cobb highlighted the importance of considering the sacrifice members of the service are confronted with every day.

PSU senior Rocco Collura, a specialist in the ROTC program, explored what it means to be a Veteran. The views he shared were linked to the appreciation of “freedoms that we get to live every day.” He referred to an online article to emphasize a particular comment he’d read: “Stop thanking Veterans for their service.” Though he admits that this phrase initially infuriated him, he said he realized what it truly meant. He encourages civilians to not merely thank members of the armed forces for their “service,” but to think critically about what it is they are thanking military members for.

Collura believes rights and freedoms are provided and upheld by those who serve, and he wants civilians to reflect on the depth of recognition they claim to have. “That is what Veteran’s Day is to me. It’s a day to thank somebody for giving me the rights I have today, and giving me the rights that I have tomorrow, and the rest of my life,” he said.

Bruce Wiggett, PSU professor and Veteran of the US Navy, shared his perspective on the honoring of veterans both alive and deceased. All veterans, he said, serve us “to protect our rights, our freedoms, and our way of life.” Wiggett also pointed out that veterans are all around us, and that they have made “the ultimate sacrifice, up to and including their lives on behalf of our country.” The concept of patriotism and serving one’s country takes on a “whole new meaning” when it “becomes personal” he said.

Wiggett’s high school classmate Carl was sent to Vietnam as “a point man on details into the jungle.” Wounded during one of his missions, Carl was honorably discharged, receiving two purple hearts and a highway named in his honor.

“Carl survived, but was he really living?” Wiggett asked the crowd, after mentioning that Carl later suffered from PTSD. He related Carl’s story to the wider view that there are others like him, others who “re-live the horrors of war every night.”

Carl was able to focus his efforts on helping to save others from a similar fate, and overcome his suicidal thoughts. But not all are as fortunate to recover from the trauma. Wiggett provided surprising statistics on the number of homeless veterans in America. “50,000 [veterans are] sleeping in our streets somewhere…twenty-two young veterans, male and female, take their lives every day.”

Wiggett advocated that everyone give a helping hand to veterans, and take responsibility to put a stop to the tragedies at home while the armed forces do the same all over the world. This event brought together past, present, and future members of the armed services, with guest speakers pleading for civilians to serve the country and its defenders in any way they are able. A moment of silence closed the event to consider those who have fallen, and those who are still serving.