Alma College celebrates Veterans Day

AUDREY HESTER
STAFF WRITER

11/11/2024

Veterans Day was on Nov. 11. While it began specifically as a day to celebrate and honor those who fought in the First World War, the holiday has now expanded to be a day of honor, remembrance, and respect for anyone who has served in any branch of the United States Armed Forces, for any conflict. Even those who have never seen action are still honored and thanked for their service on Veterans Day. Cities and towns all over the country honor this holiday in a variety of ways, including Alma.  

For its 2024-25 academic year, Alma College was named the top school in the Midwest under “Best College for Veterans—Regional Colleges” by U.S. News and the World Report. Multiple factors impact where colleges rank under this category, though the two requirements are that the college is certified for the G.I. Bill, and that it is either a public school or participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program. Alma College fulfills the latter, participating in the program.  

Additionally, the winning college must be one that is particularly well-equipped to make college affordable for both veterans and active-duty members of the Armed Forces. Both the G.I. Bill and the Yellow Ribbon Program assist in this. Alma College’s commitment to making a college-level education affordable for veterans and other members of the Armed Forces are what earned it the top spot in the U.S. News and the World Report’s rankings.  

Beyond what Alma College itself is doing to support veterans, though, its students are affected by Veterans Day as well, even if they haven’t served in the Armed Forces themselves. Many students have family members that are veterans or active-duty service members, and this lends Veterans Day an extra layer of significance.  

“My Grandpa Roush, my Uncle Dave, my cousin Josh, and my Grandpa Fein are all veterans. Veterans Day is most important to me when it comes to my relationship with Grandpa Roush, because being a veteran is important to him. […] [He] was deployed in Vietnam and Kuwait, and during this time was when he became a Christian. It’s a very important time in his life, and he talks about it a lot. […] I make sure that I give him a call on Veterans Day, because it would make him happy. I think having personal experience definitely makes it more special,” said Anna Fein (‘27).   

It is important to honor and celebrate the effort these veterans have put in and the risks they have taken for the United States, regardless of what branch they served in, or when or where they served.

“All veterans work so hard and risk their lives to protect their country and I think that deserves recognition,” said Catie Carey (‘27).  

“We should absolutely celebrate our veterans. If our government is going to send people off to war, the people who go should be recognized. […] If there are some people who would rather not think much about their time in the military, then that is totally reasonable and that should be respected. But there are many veterans who do think about their time in the military a lot and who should be celebrated,” said Fein.  

Through Alma College’s MFA program, there will be a writer’s workshop on Nov. 16 specifically set aside for anyone who has served in the military. The workshop will feature teaching, writing prompts, and support for those who are looking to get involved in the MFA program.