This past month Madison College hosted a week dedicated to veterans. Though we should be honoring them every day, they decided to make this week extra special.

Throughout the week they displayed thank you notes, packed bags for homeless veterans, had an appreciation lunch hosted by Diane’s Dinner, the Vet Club and National Guard hosted a pull-up challenge and the annual Veteran’s Day celebration was held.

At the celebration speakers from the Native American Student Association (NASA) spoke about their history of fighting in wars. The keynote speaker, Karyn German, talked about the statistics of the many men and women who were in the military and talked about past wars.

Along with her speech, she told a story of a veteran who is currently attending Madison College, James Nelson. Nelson was not able to attend the celebration but had left a few words for fellow veterans.

“I just want to let you know that being great doesn’t stop after we leave the military. Through our dedication to service and our sacrifice in the military and to our nation, we not only earned the title of our specific branches, we also earned the title of veteran. We may face many struggles, challenges, and obstacles getting out, but nothing that we can’t overcome. Our lives are filled full of stepping stones, and college may be one of them,” Sgt. Nelson wrote.

“Just because we are veterans and out of the military doesn’t mean we can exactly drop our preverbally ‘pack’ as we like to call it. There is still so much more that needs to be accomplished on our horizons. And if any one of us gets tired, and lose sight of our journey, we must not be hard on ourselves or our peers,” he wrote.

“We have to remember, one of the best resources we have when times get tough is each other. We must help each other to get back in the game and finish the mission. Being a veteran isn’t just a title to uphold, it’s a way of life, and a new mission,” Sgt. Nelson.

Veteran’s Day has become a very special day for all veterans, but all civilians should remember to not just thank them on this special day but to thank them every day.