Honor and sacrifice.

While some Americans may wear red, white and blue Tuesday, in honor of Veterans Day, others may choose to solemnly walk through the Memorial Union’s Gold Star Hall, reflecting on the ISU students who have fought for their country. Others may choose to drive past or visit the Ames Veterans Memorial, located at the northeast corner of Grand Avenue and 5th Street, to pay tribute to those who lost their lives in war.

Sen. Herman Quirmbach, associate professor of economics-Liberal Arts and Sciences and the state representative of Senate District 23, said it doesn’t matter how one chooses to celebrate Veterans Day, as long as he or she understands what’s been gained from those who have sacrificed the most.

“Veterans have given us the opportunity to have a free country,” he said. “We don’t have a free country, though, unless we exercise that freedom and participate in democracy. So everybody who voted last week was participating in democracy and honoring the sacrifice of veterans by doing that.”

Quirmbach is a member of the Ames Noon Kiwanis Club. He serves as the representative of the Kiwanis Club for the Ames Patriotic Council, the council  that will host Tuesday’s Veterans Day program, at 11 a.m. in the City Auditorium.

But for Quirmbach, this ceremony means more than just being a representative of something he believes in. His father served in World War II.

Maurice Curry, senior in hotel, restaurant and institution management, knows about service. As a Marine, he served the United States during a tour in Iraq, from fall 2004 to spring 2005.

When he returned to Iowa State, he started the ISU Student Veterans of America organization, in which he serves, as president, with secretary Anastasia Bodnar, graduate student in agronomy, in order to provide a way for veterans to build camaraderie with other ISU students who have similar experiences.

“I look at it as an opportunity to thank those men and women who have gone before us … to say thank you to those guys who gave me the opportunity to do everything that I’ve done in my life,” Curry said.

Honoring ISU students who have died during times of war is appropriate for Veterans Day, said Kathy Svec, marketing director for the Memorial Union. The Gold Star Ceremony will recognize 20 servicemen Tuesday, at the Great Hall of the Memorial Union, from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.

“These were young people who took their responsibility very seriously, who answered the call of their country to serve, and they did so with a sense of responsibility and with a sense of honor,” Svec said. “The fact that they died in their attempt requires our respect.”

Quirmbach said that while Veterans Day is an ideal time to thank those who have served their country, it isn’t the only time to be thankful for the sacrifices made by service men and women.

“If you know a veteran, if you know one of your classmates has been in the service or is in the service, thank them for their service,” he said. “And maybe when you go home for Thanksgiving or Christmas, be sure to thank your relatives. You may find that there are more of your relatives who have served in one capacity or another than you might realize.”