A fairly young group at Iowa State, ISU Student Veterans of America, is planning to revamp the Pride Lounge in the Memorial Union in order to create a space for student veterans to meet other veterans, study or simply hang out, to honor the school’s veterans.

Wednesday marks a meaningful day in the lives of veterans as the country honors its heroes on Veterans Day, but the group worked to pay tribute to them year-round with a space of their own.

“The idea was to bring something to Iowa State that represented or paid tribute to those who served and did not die or lived to tell the story,” said Ryan Bratvold, president of ISU Student Veterans of America and senior in journalism and mass communication.

Working closely with Richard Reynolds, director of the Memorial Union, the group hopes the Pride Lounge will be finished in the first two weeks of December. The biggest additions to the lounge will be new paint, new furniture, donated laptops and donated flags for every branch of the military.

Bratvold is one of 455 student veterans at Iowa State, according to the office of the registrar. Bratvold was a freshman in 2003 when he was deployed to Iraq.

“I was in Iraq for 12 months,” Bratvold said. “There were good times and bad times, but they made me the person I am today. I matured a lot quicker since I went there at the age of 19 and I came back with a different outlook on life.”

Bratvold wasn’t sure if he was ready to return to a major university setting, so he attended Western Iowa Tech Community College in Sioux City for a year after returning from Iraq.

“I wanted to be around my family a lot and I lived at home,” Bratvold said. “The community college courses were not as challenging as courses here, but I wanted to take it easy. Still, the transition back wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be.”

After coming to Iowa State, Bratvold helped get ISU Student Veterans of America off the ground and running. The group formed in December 2006 and is still working hard today to get in touch with all student veterans at Iowa State.

“ISU Student Veterans of America is helping returning veterans readjust into an academic environment,” said Thomas Loynachan, advisor for the group and professor of agronomy.

The group is not as formal as some may think. Members go to pint night at Olde Main Brewing Company on Wednesdays. Other activities include going to the Iowa State hockey games and a pub crawl celebrating the end of finals week.

“Sometimes people get deployed, come back and then don’t have many friends because they have graduated,” Bratvold said. “They have a hard time meeting new people, so if nothing else they can run into other student veterans in the Pride Lounge. Often military people have a better time hanging out with other military people.”

The Post-9/11 GI Bill took effect Aug. 1. The Department of Veterans Affairs’ Web site states the bill “pays up to the highest public in-state undergraduate tuition and fees.” One provision is the Yellow Ribbon Program, which allows institutions to enter into an agreement with VA to fund tuition expenses that exceed the highest public in-state undergraduate tuition rate. The institution can contribute up to 50 percent of those expenses and VA will match the same amount as the institution.

University of Iowa, Drake University, Grinnell College and Luther College, along with 29 other Iowa colleges and universities are participating in the program. Iowa State isn’t one of these schools.

“I don’t know why we’re not involved, honestly,” Bratvold said. “Part of it may just be that not that many people know about it or not that many people have brought it to the university’s attention.”

Gold Star Hall Ceremony Honorees

World War II

Sept. 19, 1944

Kenneth Norman Okeson

Hometown: Wakefield, NE

At Iowa State: civil engineering, fall 1935 to winter 1939

Military: 1st Lt., Army Air Forces; 81st Squadron, 436th Troop Carrier Group; navigator, C47

Korea

Oct. 10 1951

Robert Emory Dummermuth

Home town: Elgin

At Iowa State: dairy plant operation, 1947-’48

Military: CPL. Company B, 7th Cavalry Reg., 1st Cavalry Div.

May 22, 1952

Charles Emery Collins

Hometown: Melbourne

At Iowa State: animal husbandry, fall 1949

Military: PFC, 27th Infantry Reg., 25th Infantry Div.

June 6, 1952

Carl Jacob Claus

Hometown: Plymouth

At Iowa State: veterinary medicine, fall 1947

Military: Cpl., 8th Cavalry Reg., 1st Cavalry Div., scout dog trainer

Oct. 15, 1952

Sidney Jasper Botts

Hometown: rural Elliott

At Iowa State: animal husbandry, 1947–’48

Military: Sgt., 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Div.

July 6, 1953

William Ward Sharp

Hometown: Plover

At Iowa State: agricultural education, 1951–’52

Military: PFC., Company A, 17th Infantry Reg., 7th Infantry Div.

Vietnam

June 13, 1969

Michael Keith Lewis

Hometown: Lake City

At Iowa State: horticulture, 1964–’67

Military: Staff SGT., Company D, 3/60th 9th Infantry Div., Mobile Riverine Force

– Information from the ISU News Service

Seven names of ISU students have been added to the Great Hall in the Memorial Union and will be honored at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday during a ceremony in the Great Hall.

The Great Hall is dedicated to honoring ISU alumni killed during active duty. Of the seven names that have been added this year, none of the students were graduates, according to a news release.

— By Daily Staff

Student Veterans of America Events

Veterans Day Pint Night at Olde Main 6:30 p.m. Wednesday

ISUSVA Cyclone Hockey Military Night 7:30 p.m. Friday — Iowa State vs. University of Central Oklahoma game