Fort Lewis College students for the third year Tuesday marked Veterans Day with public recognition of a hero in their life.
Students hung scores of 4-inch by 4-inch cards bearing a photo of a pair of combat boots on a wall in the Student Union. The cards bore the name of a veteran and whatever other information the student knew about him or her.
“I wanted a way for the entire campus to be involved in Veterans Day, not just veterans,” said Nancy Stoffer, the coordinator of diversity programs on campus. “I figured it would be relevant to most students because almost all of them would have ties to a veteran.
Four-hundred to 500 cards are posted on the wall annually, Stoffer said.
In 2012, the first year of the observation, the cards bore a picture of poppies, Stoffer said. Last year, the cards carried a picture of stars.
“It’s really nice to remind people about the veterans in their lives,” said Stoffer, as she handed a student a photo of combat boots to add to the collection of names. Most students have someone to honor, and if they don’t, they tend to thank veterans in a broad sense, she said.
For Matt Karneffel, a former combat engineer who served three tours in Iraq, Veterans Day is a “double-edged sword.” He said the country will remember and recognize veterans for half the day, then continue on as usual the other half.
“There’s a lot of people out there who risk their lives for us,” said Emily Ciszek, a senior at FLC originally from Pagosa Springs.
Amoretta Pringle, a senior from Arizona, was honoring her father, uncle, grandfather and friend.
“It’s a day to keep in mind and in heart the people who dedicated their lives to our safety, as well as those who have retired,” Pringle said. “It needs to be done more often.”
daler@durangoherald.com
