President Lou Hencken decided to host Eastern’s first Veteran’s Day ceremony one day this summer when he was at an airport.

He was boarding a plane that had numerous veterans coming home from Iraq. As the veterans left the plane, everyone in the airport stood and clapped to thank them.

“I felt very proud to say ‘thank you’ to these people directly,” Hencken said.

Nearly 60 people – mostly Charleston residents – attended the event held Friday afternoon at Old Main.

Veteran’s Day began Nov. 11, 1918, with the signing of an armistice between Germany and the Allied forces to enforce a ceasefire on the Western Front during World War I. The treaty was signed at 11 a.m., “the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.” The Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1919 as a ratification of the original armistice and officially ended the war. Nov. 11 was celebrated as Armistice Day, a day to give thanks to the United States’ veterans. The holiday was changed to Veteran’s Day in the United States following WWII.

As the veteran population increases, more ceremonies are planned to honor the country’s veterans. The younger veterans from the Afghanistan and Iraq wars are causing the increase in the veteran population.

“When I was younger, there were no Veteran’s Day ceremonies,” said Paulette Najarian, a Charleston resident. “It’s nice Eastern is holding this event because they don’t have them everywhere.”

While Eastern has never held a Veteran’s Day ceremony prior to this year, some students remember their high schools holding special ceremonies to honor the nation’s veterans.

“Every year in high school, we had a veteran’s celebration,” said Amber Nyara, a sophomore business marketing major and a second-year member of Eastern’s ROTC program.

What people may not realize is that Veteran’s Day is not just a day to recognize the fallen, but also a day to also recognize the serving.

On Eastern’s campus, there are 200 students who are veterans or still serving, according to Maj. Larry Coblentz, a military science professor. The number of veterans or serving military personnel in the faculty is close to being the same amount. In Charleston, there are 600 VFW members.

Eastern’s ROTC program has 150 students enrolled in it.

“ROTC reminds us why (Veteran’s Day) exists,” said Charleston Mayor John Inyart.

“Everyone, including the ROTC, deserves our thanks,” Coblentz said.

After speeches made by Hencken, Coblentz and Inyart, members of Eastern’s ROTC performed a 21-gun salute and played taps in remembrance of the country’s veterans.

To Lloyd Leonard, commander of the American Legion Post 88 in Mattoon, the 21-gun salute and taps was a sad remembrance to his days in the military.

“It’s a hard feeling to explain when you hear those things,” he said.