‘They have answered a noble calling’

Dozens gathered on the lawn outside the University of Idaho’s Administration Building on Wednesday for a Veterans Day wreath-laying ceremony honoring those who have served in the U.S. armed forces.

Despite biting cold and snow crunching underfoot, many stood in silence to hear from UI leaders and former service members as 315 small American flags representing alumni who died in the line of duty stirred quietly in the breeze behind them. Members of the UI’s ROTC programs representing every branch stood in uniform and at attention for much of the event, which concluded with a wreath-laying ceremony while a pair of musicians played taps into the chilly morning air.

In his opening remarks, UI President Scott Green said around 340 current students have served in the military and veterans traditionally comprise between 2 percent to 3 percent of the student body.

“I’m honored to serve as president of this university that has such a rich heritage of supporting our military and their families,” Green said.

Following Green’s introduction, former UI interim president and emeritus professor Don Burnett reflected on the UI’s unusual status as both a land-grant and flagship institution and how that status has helped to shape its relationship with the U.S. armed forces.

“The University of Idaho’s dual status as a flagship and land-grant institution is a point of distinction,” Burnett said. “It comes with special responsibilities — the land-grant tradition embraces national service which, for nearly a century and a quarter, has fostered the development of civilian and military leadership throughout America.”

Burnett, who retired from the U.S. Army in 2000 after obtaining the rank of colonel, said his own family’s tradition of military service can be traced alongside the UI’s ROTC program. He said his father, Don Burnett Sr., was part of a wave of ROTC graduates from the UI who volunteered for active service after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor ignited U.S. involvement in WWII. His mother served stateside, he said, as a volunteer for the American Red Cross. He said his family’s story is not unique.

“The spirit of family and the spirit of national service are often intertwined. The spirit of this day, Nov. 11, is the spirit of a commitment to something greater than ourselves, a spirit that servicemen and servicewomen share when serving our country in uniform,” Burnett said. “It’s a spirit that sustains them and, importantly, it is a spirit that stabilizes our country, even in the current period of hyper-partisanship and division in American life.”

Burnett said Veterans Day is an opportunity to honor all those who have served, living and dead, for the sacrifices they’ve made in the name of American prosperity and security. He said the nation’s debt to its veterans is “still outstanding” noting many young veterans struggle to reacclimate to civilian life and veteran unemployment is even higher than a national average worsened by the pandemic.

Burnett said one of the purposes of Veterans Day is to give others the opportunity to understand the burden placed on those called to military service and, through expressions of appreciation, attempt to lessen the pain that many endure.

“As those Americans come and go among us in our daily lives, or when their names appear on memorials after they are gone, we tend to see them as ordinary folks; like us,” Burnett said. “In many ways they are — but they are more than that. Through service and sacrifice, they have answered a noble calling. In the eyes of history, they are exceptional and they have made America exceptional.”

Scott Jackson can be reached at (208) 883-4636, or by email to sjackson@dnews.com.