The veterans community is a major asset to Iowa State University.

The ROTC program joined together Friday night to raise awareness about the veterans community at the Cyclone Hockey game against the University of Jamestown.

Although the game ended in a 4-2 loss for the Cyclones, the crowd still cheered throughout the entire three periods. They roared with excitement at nearly every point in the game, including when the Zamboni passed over the ice.

During the game, ROTC members put on a few events to give the crowd a little extra entertainment.

Midshipman First Class Joseph Rauenhorst was one of three ROTC members to perform in the puck shoot between the second and third periods. Although this was the second year Rauenhorst has participated in the event, he still didn’t make any shots. He said it was worth it because it was fun, especially riding out onto the ice in a car.

The other event was a broomball game between the Army and Navy/Marines. During the game, the Army wore red, the Marines wore green and the Navy wore blue. No one scored, but the Navy/Marines came close on more than a handful of occasions. 

Midshipman Second Class Dave Black was one of the members of the Navy/Marines team. He said they created a fun atmosphere and a great game plan heading in but weren’t able to execute.

“We go out there with tenacity and pride,” he said. “We are a really good team generally. We played them hard and we were down in their end the entire time.” 

Black said he and his peers are used to being around big crowds and performing under pressure. In the end, it was just fun for them to get all of the services together during the events and while watching the hockey game.

Midshipman Second Class Connor Schueler said the purpose of the event is to get the veterans together at a hockey game once a year. They wanted to organize events that included the ROTC program and Veterans Center to help raise awareness.

“We have one of the strongest veterans programs in the country, headed by Jathan Chicoine,” Schueler said.

Much of what Schueler talked about included how they love to see support for the veterans while getting to see a hockey game.

“Recognizing the military really brings a lively energy to the arena,” Rauenhorst said.

Although extra work goes into coordinating the event, the crowd’s cheers while watching hockey and recognizing veterans makes it worth the effort.