Remembrance and Recognition: A Look at the RUC Veterans Day Luncheon 2023

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On any given day, a student or faculty member might walk by it about five or six times and never notice it. Through rain and shine, it stands its humble vigil 24 hours a day and seven days a week. It never calls attention to itself or insists on any pomp or ceremony.

It is the Lance Corporal Jeremy Kane memorial plaque, located right next to the flagpoles outside the Student Center, and on November 14th, it was the centerpiece of a solemn ceremony commemorating Veterans Day.

Veterans have a special relationship with Veterans’ Day that is at times very strange. In public, it is an almost happy affair, full of back-slapping and maybe free meals if one’s family is present. However, as a veteran myself, I have found my private moments on any given November 11th to be much more meditative and somber. Of course, no two veterans are the same, and the way one person reacts isn’t necessarily a bellwether for how any other person would react. But I count among a solid majority of veterans, or at least Marine Corps veterans, whodon’t really care for the Veterans Day spotlight and find it overwhelming.

For this reason, I found myself almost feeling a bit hesitant to attend my first Rutgers Camden Veterans Day luncheon since becoming a Scarlet Raptor. Despite the hesitation, I am very glad I did attend.

What transpired on that Tuesday in the main conference room was unlike anything I could have been expecting. Student and alum veterans, along with their families from all walks of life, were there, as well as veterans from conflicts dating back as far as the Second World War. To say it was humbling to be in the same room as so many accomplished people with so many remarkable stories is an understatement.

Thanks to the efforts of Fred Davis, Jake Kopach, and their loyal staff at the Student Veterans Affairs Center, the luncheon was a wonderful experience for all involved. One of the moments that I believe had to be the centerpiece of the afternoon was when Jake Kopach, when giving a speech accepting his award for Veteran of the Year, bravely made a point to ask about what he felt to be a growing apathy towards veterans on campus, both from students and from the university itself.

Another was when we were blessed with the privilege to hear humorous and sobering stories from veterans of the Korean, Vietnam, and Second World Wars firsthand. The multi-purpose room gave a standing ovation as a WWII servicewoman, 99 years of age, proudly told us: “Remember us women. We were there too; we’ve been here all along.”

Finally came the wreath-laying ceremony in honor of Lance Corporal Jeremy Kane, USMC, out by the flagpoles. Taps was played, and those present were given the opportunity to pay their respects to our fallen Rutgers alum and to all American service members who have gone on to share his fate.

I can only repeat my thanks to the Student Veterans Affairs office for the meaningful and moving luncheon and to direct any student veterans within reach of this article to look into Transition Triumph, a support group run by veterans for veterans that Jake Kopach went out of his way to set up. They meet biweekly on Thursdays during free period in the Campus Center’s 3rd Floor Conference Room.