The university’s Veterans Day celebration allowed students to write messages and post pictures to honor veterans and current members of the armed services.

Allie Garner, a junior broadcast journalism major and cadet in Air Force ROTC, said the large wall of honor provided students with a way to remember and support friends and family that have served or are away serving the country.

“It’s just a place where people can come and honor their loved ones and anyone who has served,” Garner said, adding that several students were sending photos of their written messages on their mobile phones to their loved ones.

April Brown, assistant director of assessment and retention for the Office of Inclusiveness and Intercultural Services and chair of the veterans’ committee, said she wanted to do a celebration for Veterans Day in addition to a lunch, like the office did last year.

The office has two lunches a semester, Brown said.

Her position in that office, as well as her recently being selected to chair the veterans’ committee made her want to create a larger tribute to the military.

Recruiters for the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Navy also attended and gave out information to students interested in serving the military after college

The Lambda Theta Phi Fraternity provided cards for students to send to current service members.

Lorenzo Samaniego, a senior business information systems major and Lambda Theta Phi member, said several of the fraternity members have family members who have served or are currently serving in the military, and one member of the fraternity is a veteran who served in Iraq. He said it is important to support veterans every day, but that he and his fraternity wanted to make Veterans Day special by encouraging students to write letters of support and thanks.

Brown said there was an energy from the recent Fort Hood tragedy that made people want to highlight military members for Veterans Day, adding that many faculty and staff started reserving their places for the lunch after last Thursday.

Garner said Veterans Day is mainly about awareness and support for veterans and that the Fort Hood incident does not make the day more important, but brings more awareness of the risk military members face on a daily basis.

“It’s really close to home,” Garner said. “Our armed services are in danger here on our own soil and when they’re deployed. It doesn’t matter where they are, they’re always in danger; they’re always a target.”