Every day, 1,500 World War II veterans die. Pretty soon, there will be none left.
For U Veterans’ Day Chair Rick Reese, the most interesting aspect of World War II?which ended 57 years ago?was the average age of soldiers and sailors.
“When I think about the campus, most of the soldiers were younger than the average student [here],” Reese said.
Serving in the military between ages 19 and 21, “These people made extraordinary sacrifices,” Reese said. “And some not by choice.”
The University Of Utah will honor those who fought and died for their country with three days of ceremonies and performances. The focus will be World War II.
According to Reese, the Veteran’s Administration said the U is home to the “largest, most elaborate Veteran’s Day commemoration on any campus in the nation.”
“This will knock your socks off,” Reese said.
Regardless of what you think about war, Veteran’s Day is not intended to glorify it, he continued.
“It is a celebration to remember those who served in war time, and acknowledge the debt of gratitude we owe to these people,” Reese said.
The events begin Friday at 8:45 a.m. with a panel discussion featuring four original Marine Raiders from World War II in the Saltair Room of the Union Building.
Following the discussion, at 11 a.m., is an Honoree Ceremony in the Main Ballroom. Complete with color guard, 10 veterans and four mothers who lost their sons in combat will be honored.
Although the commemoration received “huge response” the past three years it has been held, this year there is “a lot more interest,” Reese said.
The reason for the interest is “because we are in some mode of war?It’s certainly the first time we’ve been involved militarily overseas in combat” for the U’s Veteran’s Day celebration, Reese said, in regards to the United States’ war on terrorism.
According to Reese, the current situation is on an “extremely small scale compared to World War II,” in which 11 million Americans were in uniform.
Reese said the program is not very different from previous year’s, however, some adjustments have had to be made.
In previous years, veterans were honored with a 21-cannon salute and a military helicopter which landed on campus. Neither will take place this year.
The precaution is to avoid alarming people. With current situations across the nation and world, “We don’t want to create a ruckus,” Reese said.
Nonetheless, four F-16s will fly over Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday during the football game to honor veterans.