Baylor will be holding several events this week to honor all veterans. Among the events held today will be a lunch held at the law school from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. A ceremony at 5 p.m., followed by a social hour and a 24-hour vigil held all day by the Army and Air force ROTC. On Saturday there will be a tailgate two hours before kickoff behind the Mayborn Museum for all veterans.
Lacy Lakeview sophomore, Christopher Strange, president of Veterans of Baylor and Air Force veteran, said he encourages students and the rest of the Baylor community to attend the week’s events.
“It’s a way to get to know some of the people who are sitting next to you in class,” Strange said. “Just to let fellow students know where we’re coming from and who we are.”
He said something he wants students to know is the difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Memorial Day is where people think about those who gave their lives for the U.S., while Veterans Day it is a chance to say acknowledge veterans.
Strange said Veterans Day is important to him because it shows that the community still supports veterans.
“Not long ago, veterans weren’t as well received as they are now and to keep that momentum that’s been earned by military vets, to keep it alive spirit-wise,” Strange said.
He said his most proud moment in the military is an incident that happened in 2012 when he was attached to a rescue unit.
“Before the all clear was given I’ll never forget watching the medics run out of the area and go help these guys that were on this helicopter that was on fire,” Strange said. “The really crazy thing about it was they didn’t stop to make sure they were safe or anything, they went out there selflessly.”
Strange said he misses the camaraderie the most from his time serving in the military.
“Everyone you work with, you had their best intentions at heart. Everybody wanted to help each other,” Strange said. “It’s almost family the way people work together.”
Norfolk, Va., sophomore, Boris Morring, an Army veteran said students should come to the Veterans Day events so they can get to know the people who are a part of the veteran community.
“I feel like we have a large amount of knowledge and experience that we can share with the students. I think it would benefit us both in supporting each other,” Morring said.
Morring said he wants students to know the sacrifice veterans have gone through and how hard it is for a veteran to be on Baylor’s campus as a student.
“You really gotta get used to transitioning back to a civilian from the military standards,” Morring said. “We’re used to someone telling us what to do, now you have the university where it’s like you know you do it or you don’t.”
He said Veterans Day is important to him because he comes from a long line of military family members who have inspired him to become the person he is today.
“For me, I shadow a lot of my uncles because I like their professionalism, their form of thinking and their wisdom,” Borring said. “That inspired me to do it, so I pay a lot of respect to those that have served because that’s what got me out of the situation I was in.”
Morring said his most proud moment from his time in the military was the first time rescuing kids from a bad situation in captivity.
“For once the love they shared wasn’t about the uniforms. You just felt like ‘hey this is what we really are here to do to get them out of situations like this,’” Morring said.
Grand Prairie junior and Army veteran Mandy Hinshaw said students and the Baylor community should come to any of the events planned this week so they can get a good understanding of the brotherhood and sisterhood that comes with being in the military.
“It’s a good opportunity for students to see both the hardships and blessings that the military can bring,” Hinshaw said. “If you’re not affiliated with the military in anyway, it’s a good idea to go and just educate yourself. There are veterans on campus and interacting with them is not the same as interacting with other students on campus. They have life experiences they can share. They are great people.”
Hinshaw said Veterans Day is important to her because she still has a lot family that serves and it helps her to remember friends she has lost.
“In appreciation for everything that they do and everything that they did do and the sacrifices that their families had to make,” Hinshaw said.
She said her most memorable moment in the military is when she had the opportunity to build camaraderie with the teams she was on.
“A couple of years ago I had one of the guys I worked with wish me a happy Veterans Day and say that I was the best medic he has ever had, which is awesome because its kind of hard to be a female in the military,” Hinshaw said. “Being able to do my job and save somebody to me there’s nothing more rewarding.”
