Tennessee Tech concluded its weeklong Veterans Day observance Friday with Red Out Day, inviting students, faculty and staff to wear red in support of military veterans.
Director of Military and Veteran Affairs Vance Fraley said the university schedules activities throughout the week to connect students with military traditions and recognize the personal commitments that come with serving in the armed forces.
“One day is kind of fleeting,” Fraley said. “All of our holidays are generally one day and the amount of time that a veteran sacrifices is worth more than just one day. So we want them to know that they are special to us.”
Fraley said military members often spend extended periods away from their families and surrender certain personal freedoms when they enlist. He said those sacrifices extend beyond combat deployments and affect veterans from every branch of service.
“We ask that the university as whole wear red,” Fraley said. “Therefore, just in the symbology for those who have sacrificed for this country and just again to show additional support.”
The university’s final observance Friday gave students and employees an opportunity to participate without attending a formal ceremony.
“When veterans are walking around and they see someone in red, they know that that person is acknowledging them and acknowledging their brothers and sisters who made the ultimate sacrifice,” Fraley said.
Fraley said the university also hosts a Department of Veterans Affairs resource fair, allowing veterans throughout the Upper Cumberland to speak directly with VA personnel about available services and assistance.
Veterans Week is organized by Tennessee Tech’s Department of Military and Veteran Affairs.
