In a ceremony dedicated to veterans, one Ball State alumnus spoke of his job and the year he served in Iraq.
The Ball State University Office of Veterans Affairs and the Student Veteran Organization honored veterans Friday during a ceremony held in the L.A. Pittenger Student Center.
The event featured a speech given by Lt. Col. Kevin Faughnder, as well as the presenting of the colors from members of the Ball State ROTC program.
Faughnder, a 1994 Ball State alumnus, is now a Division Signal Officer at Fort Hood, Texas. There he is responsible for all the information technology needs of the First Calvary Division.
Faughnder spoke about what it means to honor veterans and what the army has done for him.
“The army gave me the opportunity to see the world and do new things,” Faughnder said.
He is the father of three, and he said while he appreciates the attention and gratitude the military receives, he also pointed out the sacrifice that the families of veterans make as well. He talked about his wife having to live alone and care for their children for an entire year while he served in Iraq.
SVO, a group of students who are either veterans themselves or have immediate ties to the military, hosted the event.
Senior Emilee Wolfley, a member of SVO, has a father who is a colonel in the military, as well as a brother who is involved.
This summer she helped prepare for the event with other members of the group by communicating with the guests and preparing a slideshow of Ball State students who are veterans.
The hope is that eventually SVO will have a picture of every alumnus and student who has served in the military to add to SVO’s “Honor Wall.”
Aside from helping with the event, Wolfley went to the ceremony to honor veterans because of how closely it hits home.
“I’ve gone through the experience of not having my dad around, as well as my brother, and this is to show that we support them and how important it is that they’re safe, as well as them knowing that we’re safe, too,” Wolfley said.
