'The backbone of our nation': UT honors military families in annual wreath-laying ceremony
The University of Texas recently held its annual wreath-laying ceremony to honor U.S. veterans and their families at the Frank Denius Family University of Texas Athletics Hall of Fame.
The wreath, adorned in burnt orange ribbon, tiger lilies and white roses, was laid Thursday in the Veterans Memorial Plaza in front of Royal-Memorial Stadium.
UT President Jay Hartzell, ROTC cadets, faculty members working in veterans and military research or services, and a retired U.S. Navy vice admiral participated in the ceremony. The 1st Cavalry Division Band played the national anthem and "The Eyes of Texas."
As is traditional, the ceremony was held the Thursday before the annual veterans recognition game Saturday at UT, where the Longhorns defeated Kansas State 33-30 in the stadium dedicated to American veterans of all wars.
Lawson Magruder, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant general who gave the welcome and closing remarks at the event, said the stadium is the largest war memorial in Texas. He also pointed to the importance of recognizing veterans.
“The legacy of generations of patriots who dedicated their lives in the service of our country makes a strong, resilient nation,” Magruder said. “This Veterans Day and throughout the year, veterans’ stories connect Americans with the value of our military service and inspire the next generation to serve.”
The ceremony focused on the role of military and veteran families in supporting their country.
Elisa Borah, a research associate professor in social work and the director of UT’s Institute of Military and Veteran Family Wellness, an initiative of the UT Dell Medical School and the Steve Hicks School of Social Work, spoke at the event about the institute’s work and about being the spouse of a veteran herself.
“We believe that when the service member serves, their family serves alongside them,” Borah said. “We believe that military and veteran families thrive when they are part of strong supportive communities that offer peer-based support and guidance.”
Borah and the institute research military families' needs and use those findings to inform the services they provide. The institute also provides training to professionals about ways they can serve veterans and their families, and collaborates with community organizations to offer support.
The institute was founded about five years ago, Borah said, and is expanding its virtual programming nationally this year.
“There’s enough of a demand that we felt we had to expand to reach that population,” Borah said in an interview. “There's tons of veteran service organizations, but they don't always have the programming in house to support the spouses of those veterans who are also looking for support and education.”
Borah said there are 500 student-veterans on campus. The institute coordinates with the Office of Student Veterans to connect with families, who can then access programs and services, including the Veteran Spouse Network.
In her speech, she spoke about how financial pressures are forcing military families to consider leaving the service and how pay isn’t keeping up with rising costs. Borah also spoke of the unseen role family plays in service — from ironing the uniform to relocating to staying home when personnel are deployed.
Hartzell praised the work Borah and her colleagues at UT are doing to support veterans and thanked military members, veterans and their families present for the service.
“I'm always struck by the great work that our faculty and staff are doing,” Hartzell said after Borah’s speech. “We remain committed at UT-Austin to our military and our veteran students.”
Matt Pesqueira, an ROTC cadet lieutenant colonel and battalion commander at UT and a senior in the Moody College of Communication, said he attended the ceremony to honor veterans and represent the program.
“I’ve always felt a deep calling to national service since I was a kid. It’s been a dream of mine to lead our nation’s sons and daughters and to retain our country’s status a superpower in the world,” he said. “The backbone of our nation is our military and especially the veterans and the families.”
Harrison Kaeller, a cadet first lieutenant and second-year graduate student at UT, is the commander of UT's ROTC Color Guard. Kaeller said his whole family has served, and he will be the first in his family to be commissioned as an Army officer.
“Compared to all the other programs at UT, I think the ROTC programs do a really good job of preparing us not just for a career in the military and the armed forces but a career in public service as well,” he said. “ROTC is not just for cadets for us to commission, it’s for us to show our respect for the future as well.”
Both Kaeller and Pesqueira spoke about the close-knit ROTC community at UT, and their passion for serving both the country and the local Austin community.
President Joe Biden declared November National Veterans and Military Families Month. Borah said that in this month and beyond, it’s important to connect with veterans and the military community in Austin and beyond.
“Even though it is a very small 1% of Americans who serve, they do such an enormous service to our country that we all should do more to just focus on them, recognize them, help them,” Borah said. “We all just need to try harder."