Veterans Day, previously known as Armistice Day, was established by President Woodrow Wilson on Nov. 11, 1919, a year after World War I ended. The goal was to remember and commemorate the dead troops of World War I for their sacrifice and courage.

  In 1945, World War II veteran Raymond Weeks proposed expanding Armistice Day to honor all soldiers, not only those who perished in World War I. He led a delegation to General Dwight Eisenhower, who was enthusiastic about the plan. Weeks then arranged the very first Veterans Day event in Alabama in 1945, and he did it every year until his death in 1985.

Veterans Day commemorates all Americans who have served in war or peace, dead or alive; however, it is primarily intended to honor surviving veterans for their services.

Long hours and a lot of time away from friends are what you will find in the military, according to Mike Henning, a veteran who started his career in 1997. He explained that in the military you “find the hardest jobs you will ever have.”

“There are long hours, a lot of time away from friends and family, “ Henning said. ”If you are overseas, you will lack typical creature comforts. I was a sheriff’s deputy in the civilian world and a military police officer in the Army.”

However, he said that he did not regret entering the military. Indeed, Henning explained why, for him, the military lifestyle is much better than the life you can find in a conventional job.

“My military career was better than working nine to five in a cubicle,” Henning said. “Every day was different. It is one of the most physically demanding jobs out there, with many hours of training and working.”

Ben Nelson, a veteran who started his military career in 2018, explained what his experience in the army was like. He spent a few years at SUNY Buffalo prior to enlisting in the military, and when he did, he said that he developed useful skills that in his opinion, are underrated.

“Like most jobs, I loved most of it, but there were parts that could be frustrating or downright boring,” Nelson said. “I look back on my service as a wonderful experience, though. Something that isn’t talked about nearly as much but that I found important when I transitioned were the soft skills you also develop. Patience, optimism, pushing through adversity, teamwork, etc.these and many other skills can’t necessarily be taught but are so important when going into any job or career. So many employers can teach you how to do a job, but they can’t teach you discipline or work ethic.”

One point that Nelson brought up in the discussion was developing a stoic character to face the military lifestyle. The latter allowed him to overcome the most adverse times and stay optimistic.

“I think one lesson I retain through all my experience is to embrace the suck,” Nelson said. “Which is just being okay with a less than ideal situation and doing the best with what you’ve got. It’s a saying that I think anyone can apply to life, and it allows me to stay optimistic even during the most adverse times.”

The change he experienced when he became a veteran was hard to swallow, according to Nelson. His life after the military was notably different compared with when he was in the army. He said that during his service he used to travel a lot, but now his traveling is “strictly limited to leisure” and it happens to him much less often.

“I definitely felt different when I became a veteran,” Nelson said. “It was such a huge part of my life (or rather, my entire life) for several years that it’s hard not to feel different. The military is more than a job; it’s a lifestyle, so reacclimating to a standard nine to five was a strange feeling. My job also had me traveling a lot. Usually for a couple of weeks every two months, as well as a deployment. I got to visit several states and multiple countries while I was there. Now my traveling is strictly limited to leisure, and it’s much less often.”

At SUNY Oswego, there are students who became veterans while they were already in college. That is the case of Natalie Miller, a SUNY Oswego student majoring in physics and minoring in astronomy, who enlisted in the New York Army National Guard in March of 2020.

Miller became a student at SUNY Oswego in fall of 2017, prior to enlisting. She explained the great opportunity it was for her professional career to work as an IT specialist in the military, as it gave her good experience and skills for IT-related jobs.

“My MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) is an IT specialist,” Miller said. “Skills related to this MOS translate excellently to civilian jobs, as it consists of cyber security and setting up and troubleshooting network connectivity issues. This not only looks good on a resumé when applying for an IT-related job but having experience in the field already helps. For example, seeing a certain issue when setting up a network before and knowing a previous solution gives you a good idea where to start the next time that issue comes up.” 

She tried to explain stories of her military experience, but according to Miller, most of them fell into the “you just had to be there” category, which would be hard to explain to someone who has not been there. However, she had a quote from a sergeant that she wanted to share with us.

“I do have a quote from a Drill Sergeant that has stuck with me,” Miller said. “Though I doubt she came up with it originally, that’s just where I heard it first. It is ‘Character is how you treat people who do nothing for you.’

Improving veterans’ lives after their service is something that, according to Miller, could be done by improving the transparency of the benefits that they could get access to. 

“I wish there was more transparency in what benefits service members are eligible for and how to use them, Miller said.” The process the VA has could definitely be more streamlined. “

SUNY Oswego makes different efforts each year to pay tribute to the veterans, as well as having a dedicated military lounge for military students, as Miller explains.

“It has a military appreciation night at one of the hockey games each year,” Miller said. “[SUNY Oswego] hosts an event on Veterans Day, and has a military coordinator to help military students navigate their academic careers.”

If you are looking for a way to support veterans in your community, The Veterans Club is currently accepting canned good donations for Clear Path for Veterans as well as toys for Toys for Tots! Donations can be accepted at the veterans lounge at 313 Sheldon Hall or at the Veterans Club table in the campus center.

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