Fisheries and wildlife junior Monica Lucas shakes hands with environmental studies and agriscience junior Thomas Jepsen Thursday in front of the rock on Farm Lane.
Veterans and future members of the military from different branches joined together Thursday in celebration of Veterans Day.
The Spartan Armed Forces Council and a local student group, the Arnold Air Society and Silver Wings, painted the rock on Farm Lane on Wednesday evening, camped out and spent most of Thursday guarding it together and raising awareness for their organizations and Veterans Day.
Also in honor of Veterans Day, the Spartan Armed Forces Council organized the Battle of the Bands 2010, which will be held today from 7-10 p.m. at the Erickson Hall Kiva.
Although there is a rivalry between military branches, in reality, veterans and members of the military are a unified group, said Dave Locher, Spartan Armed Forces Council president and U.S. Marine Corps veteran.
“As soon as you hang a dog tag around your neck you are a brother, a sister,” Locher said.
Locher said sacrifices made and communal experiences unite service members and veterans.
“We have a common factor — we all put on our uniform, we all stepped up to serve,” Locher said.
Political science senior and U.S. Navy veteran Matt Patton said although competition is common, there is a sense of camaraderie among service men.
“There’s always a playful banter, that’s just the nature of things,” Patton said. “(But) we all know at the end of the day we’re all brothers.”
Marketing senior Josh Marsh, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who helped paint the rock on Farm Lane on Thursday, said working with veterans of other branches was not a problem.
“If you get veterans together, no matter what branch that they’re in, everyone gets along right away,” Marsh said. “There’s no awkwardness.”
Marsh served two tours in Iraq, totaling about 19 months of service. After serving, Marsh said he dealt with post-traumatic stress disorder because of his experiences losing friends.
“When friends get killed right in front of you, it’s a pretty traumatic experience,” Marsh said.
Community support and support from other veterans has helped Marsh deal with his experiences overseas, Marsh said.
“It means everything to us,” Marsh said. “I experienced a pretty negative experience when I was over there and it kind of a picks me up when people come by and show me support for what we did.”
While serving in Iraq, Marsh worked with the Army and the Navy. He said camaraderie between branches was and is necessary.
“You watch their back and they watch your back in Iraq or wherever anybody is,” Marsh said.
“Even back here in the States, (we) help them stay away from trouble.”
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