Honoring Service and Legacy: Marking Veterans Day through Recognition and Community

A military dog tag and chain set on top of a postcard with three pictures of soldiers in uniform. The postcard says, "Veterans Day: Honoring all who served past and present"
A military-style dog tag is pictured during Salute to Service: Honoring our Badger Veterans Through Time, a Veterans Day event hosted by University Veterans Services on Library Mall at the University of Wisconsin Madison on Nov. 11, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Miller / UW-Madison)

A man in a red jacket and black Vietnam veteran hat sitting at a table between two women. The woman on the right is wearing a white shirt and the woman on the left is wearing a purple sweater. They are smiling and laughing as the woman in purple talks.
Attendees at the Veterans Day Recognition Breakfast sit together while eating and connect over shared stories and experiences.

On Veterans Day, University Veteran Services hosted two events to acknowledge the rich military history of the UW-Madison campus and celebrate all our Badger veterans and service members both past and present.  

The morning kicked off with the Veterans Day Recognition Breakfast at the Memorial Union. UVS warmly welcomed veterans, service members, and their families from the campus community and the greater Madison area. Inside the Great Hall, the UW Brass Quintet filled the air with stirring melodies, while veterans and community members of all ages gathered, exchanging stories and connecting over shared experiences.

In the background, UVS projected the 2024 Badger Veteran Photo Project slides for all to appreciate. Curated by UVS and featuring materials submitted by students, alumni, and staff, the Badger Veteran Photo Project honors all Badger veterans and service members. Each slide highlights the military and civilian lives of a Badger veteran through personal photos and quotes, celebrating the diverse identities that make Badger veterans truly remarkable. 

Five brass musicians sitting in chairs by a stage playing music. The rest of the room is filled with tables and people standing with their hands over their chests as they face the front of the room.
The UW Brass Quintet plays the national anthem at the Veterans Day Recognition Breakfast while those in attendance stand with hands over hearts facing toward the American Flag.

As the national anthem played, the room rose in unison, hands over hearts and eyes fixed on the American flag. To conclude the breakfast, Dr. Fernie Rodriguez, Associate Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs, and John Koller, Marine Corps veteran and UW-Madison alumnus gave inspiring remarks. Veterans and guests listened attentively as Dr. Fernie discussed the importance of our Badger veterans on campus, while John Koller shared stories from his military experience.

Afterward, Joe Rasmussen, Director of University Veteran Services, invited all attendees to walk across the street to Library Mall where UVS hosted their Salute to Service: Honoring our Badger Veterans Through Time event. UVS encouraged students and community members to fill out a dedication form and have a dog tag engraved on the spot with the name of a veteran or service member in their life. These commemorative dog tags were for attendees to keep with them, or give away to the veteran the dog tag honors. Many students and community members braved the strong winds throughout the day to have dog tags engraved for parents, siblings, and other important people in their lives. One student stopped by to have a dog tag dedicated to her grandfather who recently passed.  
A woman with blond hair and wearing a brown sweater stands outside. She has her hand outstretched holding a military dog tag in one hand and the chain in her other hand.
Chloe Lovelace, a current undergraduate student, came out to the Salute to Service event on Library Mall to get a dog tag dedicated to a veteran in her life.

While people waited for their dog tags, UVS invited them to walk around Library Mall and view the educational display signs posted around the area. These signs acknowledged the military history of the buildings surrounding Library Mall such as the Memorial Library, a building dedicated to World War II veterans; The Red Gym and Armory, a building with rich military history from mandatory military training and later ROTC headquarters; and Memorial Union, a living war memorial originally built to memorialize World War I veterans and serve as a student support center for returning soldiers. 

Two men standing outside on a sidewalk looking at yard signs. One man is pointing at the sign. In the background are brick buildings.
Joe Rasmussen (furthest from camera), Director of University Veteran Services, shows John Koller, UW-Madison alumnus and Marine Corps veteran, the display signs on Library Mall for the Salute to Service event. These signs acknowledge and recount the military history of the buildings surrounding Library Mall.

The Veterans Day events hosted by University Veteran Services provided an opportunity to celebrate and honor present veterans as well as reflect and recognize the military history embedded in the campus landscape. The day was filled with reflection, connection, and acknowledgment of the veterans who shaped our lives and the profound impact veterans had both on campus and the greater community.