The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee began its weeklong observation of Veteran’s Day on Monday, November 11 to honor those who have served and those who have yet to serve. Together the Military and Veterans Resource Center (MAVRC), the Campus Activities Board, and UWM’s Student Veterans of American have planned a variety of events throughout the week.
Tribute began on Monday morning with a “Serving Those Who Serve” breakfast in the UWM Union where campus leaders, including Chancellor Lovell, and community leaders such as Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele, served breakfast to UWM’s student and faculty veterans.
Monday and Tuesday of this week honored students who have served by displaying a banner in the Union Concourse with the names of fallen soldiers. Pictures were also shown around the concourse of UWM student soldiers who were killed in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Tuesday the MAVRC hosted two different events that were available for all students to participate in, a military training experience and a military movie documentary followed by a speech from Project Runway’s Miranda Levy.
The “Military Experience” took place in the Klotsche Pavilion, which gave students the chance to view military equipment and experience military training through various obstacle courses. Active military men and women displayed different types of equipment from practice laser guns to the 70-pound bags that are carried in combat.
Packer players Marshall Newhouse and Ryan Taylor were also at Tuesday’s events to talk with students and participate in the military training. Taylor came out victorious after a training showdown against Newhouse, but not without cheating Newhouse said.
The Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) members and UWM students Anthony Burrows and Alex Kafkas said they were at the event to try the obstacles courses and to hang out with army friends working the different events in the pavilion on Tuesday.
Wednesday hosted a “Brown-Bag Lunch,” which was held in the Union. This event, hosted by the Center for International Education, featured veterans that had worked overseas. Veterans talked with those in attendance about their encounters with different cultures from the various countries they had visited.
Events will continue throughout the week. Thursday’s event will be held for veterans and active members of the military. MAVRC will be helping veterans start, update and build upon their resumes to incorporate their previous military work.
Friday’s event is open to everyone. The “First Person Shooter Game Event and Tournament” will be held from 12 p.m. -6 p.m. in the Union, Wisconsin Room Lounge. For $10 students can play different first person shooter games such as Call of Duty on Xbox or Play Station and have the chance to win prizes. Prizes include the new Call of Duty: Ghost, gift cards, and free food. All the money raised in the tournament will go toward a veteran organization chosen by the winners of the tournament.
Program Associate of MAVRC Sarah Terry said that she is glad to be a part of this year’s events.
“These events are designed to get the MAVRC name out and to help the campus become more supportive of veterans,” Terry said.
There are over 1,000 veterans at UWM, giving the university the largest veteran enrollment within a six-state region. Honoring UWM’s veteran population is key to MAVRC’s mission to make the transition easier from “warrior” to “scholar.” The new MAVRC office in the Union Station continues to give veterans the support they need to be successful.