ASU honors military members with annual Salute to Service
ASU hosts annual Salute to Service
From serving students to honoring those tho served. Arizona State University is gearing up for its annual Salute to Service. FOX 10's Annalisa Pardo has the details on how you can get involved.
TEMPE, Ariz. - From serving students to honoring those who served, Arizona State University is gearing up for its annual Salute to Service. ASU is honoring military members, veterans, and families during its Salute to Service from Nov. 6 to 16.
What they're saying:
"No university out there does it the way we do it," said Shawn Banzhaf, Executive Director of the Pat Tillman Veterans Center.
And with more than 22,000 military-connected students at the university, it is a meaningful mission for the Sun Devils.
"And that starts at the very top with our boss. With President Crowe, his dad was a WWII veteran, and he was part of a military family," Banzhaf said. "So when you have it all the way at the top, it trickles down to everybody else."
During Salute to Service, different ASU colleges will host events throughout the week, including a Friday evening workout, a veteran's powwow, and of course, the Salute to Service football game on Friday when ASU takes on Colorado.
"I think we’re doing a flyover this year, so we’ll have planes rocking through," he said. "How can we produce salute the service that’s beyond expectation. It’s one thing to be military-friendly and say thank you for your service, but being military supportive is more of what ASU is about."
Banzhaf knows firsthand how vital support can be to the veteran community. He is one of the 700 veterans working at ASU, and was recently inducted into Arizona's Veterans Hall of Fame.
"Less than one-tenth of 1% of all the veterans in Arizona are inducted into the hall of fame, so it was a really big honor for me. It’s humbling," Banzhaf said. "It’s not the service that you have while you’re in your uniform. It’s the service after the uniform."
He hopes Salute to Service leaves veterans feeling appreciated and students inspired to serve their community or country.
"We live in this democracy, but it takes each and every one of us to do the work," Banzhaf said.
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from an unnamed university organizer; and Shawn Banzhaf, executive director of the Pat Tillman Veterans Center.