The Clemson Student Veteran Association’s Mile of Honor walk, one of the many ways the University honors its veterans, will take place on Saturday, April 6, at 8:30 a.m. The walk will run a course from Sikes Hall to the Scroll of Honor, a monument engraved with the names of the 498 alumni who have given their lives serving their country. Along the way, flags will be planted in memory of the fallen veterans.

Tradition is very important in the military community, especially rituals that honor those who came before.

“This is an opportunity for us to bring the attention of an audience of students — who are obviously a little bit younger than most of us — to these alumni,” Chase Carter, president of the SVA, told The Tiger. “It also allows us to thank those who paved that path for us for their service, even if they have passed.”

Traditions like these not only set aside valuable time for remembrance, but they also provide a link between current and former service members. Many veterans feel compelled to maintain a connection to their military community, and this is one of the ways they stay involved.

“There’s definitely an unspoken connection between every service member,” Dan Greco, treasurer of the SVA, said. “I might not have actually met any of these people on the scroll, but I do feel connected to them in that sense that we all decided to make a commitment and to potentially put ourselves in harm’s way.”

According to Greco, there is no right way to complete the walk. The atmosphere is whatever an individual wants to make it. Families are welcome to come enjoy a casual Saturday morning walk, whereas others may view it as a more somber occasion.

“I think it’s important that we share that rich history with this newer generation of college students. If you don’t pay attention to history, it’s bound to repeat itself. If we can show them the real cost of conflict, maybe we can help steer them in the right direction,” Carter said.