Columbus State University marks Veterans Day with ceremony, MRE tasting, staff training

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) - Columbus State University held a full day of Veterans Day events Wednesday that honored veterans and gave students and faculty a look at experiences of soldiers and military students.

The university has been ranked among the top military-friendly schools in the country for more than a decade.

Ceremony honors veterans

The university began the day with a ceremony honoring those who have served the country. Retired Army Col. John House, a 26-year Army veteran, headlined the event.

House used part of his speech to honor veterans by name. He noted that public figures ranging from some U.S. presidents to some actors have served.

“Well, I want the veterans and the families of veterans to understand that veterans have provided a lot of service to this country and to this community, and to this college,” House said. “And so they understand that service doesn’t end when you get out of the military and there are other ways to continue that record of service.”

‘Boots and Bites’ event features MREs

Later, the university held an event it called Boots and Bites. Attendees could try meals ready to eat, known as MREs.

Kyle Garver, the son of a CSU faculty member, said the event gave him a way to imagine military conditions.

“Just getting the experience of trying to imagine myself in the trenches or in a warzone like what this would feel like,” Garver said. “It’s kinda nice to feel like this would be the best food in the world, having this in the field.”

Bandikoot Reginald, a CSU student who served in the Army for six years, said the contents of the packages can vary and that people have to work to get the food they want.

“MREs are like Pokemon cards,” Reginald said. “There’s a lot of trading going on. You know the main course meal but you don’t know all the side things that are going to come with it. So there’s usually a lot of trading going on.”

Staff training addresses student challenges

The Military Connected Student Services team hosted a training for staff on campus. Susan Lovell, the director of Military Connected Student Services, said the training helps staff understand challenges these students may face and the knowledge they can bring.

“So we might have a student who is taking a class where they are online and then they’re deployed and they may have internet connection issues and we want to make sure we are doing everything possible to streamline services for that student,” Lovell said.

More than 1,000 students on CSU’s campus are military connected, according to information shared during the training. Lovell said that is another reason the university holds trainings like this throughout the year.