UCSD student vets salute fallen comrades

[gallery]UCSD’s Student Veteran Organization began its activities leading up to Veterans Day by placing small American flags on campus to honor each American service member who lost his or her life in combat this year — a number currently above 300.

The flags are on the grass on the west lawn adjacent to Library Walk, with a table nearby featuring a poster with names of those who were killed.

Penny Rue, vice-chancellor of student affairs, said Monday after the flags were placed that “it’s especially an honor to celebrate Veterans Day as we welcome more and more student veterans to our campus. They bring a lot of life experience to campus, they have a better understanding of how the world works and they have a strong service ethic.”

Benjamin Seaman, vice-president of UCSD’s SVO, noted, “Student veterans are very service-oriented. Whether it’s something that directly benefits veterans such as volunteering at the VA Hospital or giving to the community, nearly every veteran I know is involved in some form of community service.”

At noon Monday, the organization held a Taps ceremony and moment of silence to honor fallen military members who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

On Thursday, a special ceremony will be held in the Goldberg Auditorium at the Moores UCSD Cancer Center to honor the veteran of the year, and on Nov. 11, members of the student veterans group will participate in the 2011 San Diego Veterans Day Parade downtown, joining vets from San Diego State, University of San Diego and several local community college.