By The Gatepost Editorial Board
With a highly emotionally charged election behind us, it is easy to become overwhelmed by despair about what may lie ahead.
Therefore, people may forget that Veterans Day is coming up this Monday.
However, it is important not to forget the men and women who have fought for us and who are still fighting for us this Nov. 11. No matter how you feel about the election results, it is important to take this day to thank those who have served our country.
Framingham State currently enrolls 120 veteran students. These are people trying to better themselves by going to class, getting their homework done, and eventually earning their degrees, just like the rest of us.
The Gatepost is proud that two of our editorial board members are military-affiliated.
Senior Kaitlin Carman, an English major, has been a part of The Gatepost for two years and is currently an Assistant News Editor.
She served as an Abrams tank crewman and was one of the first enlisted 19K women in her unit. She loaded main gun rounds in the tank and shot an M240 machine gun during her service. She also served as a CBRN representative for her unit.
Kaitlin said that in the military, it doesn't matter what political party Americans are affiliated with, which president is in office, or whether members of one’s unit are conservative or liberal. “We are dedicated to serving every American - some even give their lives.
“Freedom isn’t free, and we are willing to pay,” added Carman.
Kaitlin, The Gatepost thanks you.
Sophomore Adam Harrison, a finance major, has been a member of the Army National Guard for almost three years. He has been on The Gatepost for two years and is also an Assistant News Editor.
He has served in his brigade S6 as a signal operations system specialist, managing a variety of tactical radio communication equipment, and building and operating network systems. He has also taught radio operation procedures and etiquette to soldiers from several units.
Adam said, “Service members come from all walks of life, from every corner of America, and continuously sacrifice their time with families, civilian careers, physical comfort, and potentially their lives to protect the freedom we can enjoy here without worry, and Veterans Day is meant to honor that.”
Adam, The Gatepost thanks you.
Many Gatepost alums are also veterans. Three prior Gatepost editors served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
One of them is John Maynard, Class of ’10, who wrote a column for The Gatepost during his active service, in Iraq, “Words from the War.”
John, The Gatepost thanks you.
The Gatepost is proud to display a signed uniform from John’s unit in the office, given to the paper in gratitude for the care packages sent to John’s unit.
We are grateful to all of the veterans who have worked on The Gatepost in the past, and we will think of them on this Veterans Day.
Unlike most of us, veterans have made a sacrifice for their peers and their country. They made that sacrifice 365 days a year while they were on active duty. Taking one day to honor veterans on Nov. 11 is just a small gesture of thanks for the many days they have honored us.
It can be daunting, not knowing the correct language to use or much about the military or specific wars. But you don't have to be an expert in geopolitics to offer gratitude.
For example, if you are at Dunkin’ and see someone in line wearing memorabilia representing their service, offer to buy them a coffee as a small thanks.
Thanking the veterans around you doesn’t have to be monetary. A simple “Thank you” is enough.
Just because someone is affiliated with the military doesn’t mean that they voted in any particular way. Don’t let assumptions determine how you treat people.
Recognizing veterans is not a political statement. It is a show of appreciation and a recognition that their service to our country doesn’t end when they step off the battlefield.
On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of the year 1918, World War I officially ended.
On Nov. 11, we celebrate and honor not only those who fought in WWI, but all of the people who have served in the U.S. military fighting for our freedom.
Those sacrifices have come from some of our peers here at FSU who are veterans themselves, actively serving in the reserves, or who are otherwise military-connected.
As a community, we need to ensure we are honoring and supporting these students every day.
If you want to learn about more ways to do so, speak to Coordinator of Veteran & Military Services Peter Gillies or visit the Veterans Office, located in Dwight Hall.
The Gatepost has only one thing to say to veterans in and around our community:
Thank you for your service.