We as students spend most of our days rushing from class to meals to club meetings, engrossed in the tiny interactions and goings-on of our lives.
Every so often, something comes around to pull us out of that reverie, something huge along the lines of 9/11, Katrina or last year’s bomb threat.
In each of these instances, we relied on government agencies to assist, and had the bomb threat been realized, armed forces could have been involved.
This is why Veterans Day, although stuck at the end of a much-needed fall break, shouldn’t get the short end of the stick.
We’re all headed back into the swing of things, but before the homestretch of term papers and exams overcome us all, take a moment to remember those who continue to sacrifice their lives, time and mental health to make research and academia possible.
This isn’t something to pass over because it doesn’t allow for a day off from school. It should serve as a marker to remind us all to give back to our community in some way.
Today at 1 p.m., the University will observe a nationwide moment of silence in conjunction with 85 colleges across the country. Names of fallen soldiers will be read aloud, while participants pay their respect.
But we can take it a step further.
We can’t all ship off to boot camp, but we can take advantage of our freedoms by bettering our small corners of the world and giving soldiers a reason to fight.
We can excel in classes integral to our future careers, take a day to volunteer at the children’s hospital or vote in elections.
And when we recognize a veteran, we can thank him or her.
Veterans have a special place in U.S. hearts, where they are latently respected and more often forgotten, so take some time today to serve someone else and make your part of the world something worth fighting for.

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Eric Gay

In preparation for Veteran's Day, workers hang a three-story long U.S. Flag off a parking garage, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013, in downtown San Antonio. Veteran's Day is Monday. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)