Silent guard honors veterans at Kansas State University

MANHATTAN, Kan. (WIBW) - A group of Kansas State University students honored veterans in a special way Wednesday.

Air Force ROTC cadets at the university held an annual silent guard outside the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on campus.

Both of Nate Fisher’s parents served in the military, and now he’s following in their footsteps.

“A lot of sacrifice goes unnoticed in the military,” he said. “So here for Veterans Day, we get to give a piece of that to those who are serving and who have served in the armed forces.”

Fisher is an Air Force ROTC cadet at Kansas State University, specifically serving as the commander for Arnold Air Society.

His group honored veterans on Wednesday by conducting a 24-hour silent guard at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on campus.

“It takes a lot of effort from not only our detachment but from our cadets,” he said. “And it shows that they do really care about our veterans and our community.”

From midnight to midnight on Veterans Day for over 30 years now, a cadet stands outside the memorial in silence until another cadet steps in at the top of each hour.

“I’ve been up for over 24 hours now, coordinating this with all of our cadets,” Fisher said. “It’s a sacrifice but it’s really awesome to see our cadets go out here and serve our community.”

Fisher says it’s meaningful to lead a group with a big service history at K-State.

“Arnold Air Society has a big part in the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and its history,” he said. “So when people do come by they get to learn a little bit about the university, our heritage and some U.S. history.”

He talked more about how it was built as well.

“Over $22,000 was raised to instill this memorial here at Kansas State University,” Fisher said. “So we strive to have our cadets go further than what they’re called to do.”

You can visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial at K-State on the southeast side of campus near All Faiths Chapel.