The Air Force ROTC at ASU held a Veteran's Day vigil at Gammage Auditorium from 12 p.m. Sunday to 12 p.m. Monday to commemorate American lives lost in the service of their country.
Mike Walters, a commander with ROTC and an aeronautical management technology senior, said they chose Gammage for the first-time event because it is a high visibility area.
"We wanted ASU students to be aware of the sacrifices made by the American Air Force and this vigil is for the remembrance of the prisoners of war missing in action (POWMIA) who have never been accounted for," he said.
To show respect for the dead, the ROTC had rotating groups of cadets marching in 15-minute shifts in front of the POWMIA memorial board that listed names of Air Force members killed or lost in action.
Cadets said they were proud to salute American veterans with the vigil.
"We have had veterans come up and shake our hands after the (Veteran's Day) parade this morning (Monday) and that gives me a very good feeling," said Kim Harris, a fourth-class cadet and a biochemistry freshman.
Air Force ROTC Cadet Capt. Jennifer Hufnagel, a communication senior, said they did not want people to forget about the sacrifices made by the American military for its country.
However, the overriding emotion among the members of the ROTC at ASU was to simply commemorate the dead.
"This 24-hour vigil is mostly a quiet tribute really and not aimed towards attention," Hufnagel said.
Reach Vedatrayee C. Banerjee at ctitam@hotmail.com.
