Arizona State University is set to spend 11 days spotlighting the people behind the uniform.
From Nov. 6 to 16, ASU will hold its annual Salute to Service, a campus-wide effort recognizing military members, veterans and their families. The university says the mission carries real weight on campus, where more than 22,000 students are military-connected and 700 veterans are employed.
Shawn Banzhaf, executive director of the Pat Tillman Veterans Center, said ASU’s approach stands out.
"No university out there does it the way we do it," said Shawn Banzhaf, Executive Director of the Pat Tillman Veterans Center.
He pointed to leadership at the top as part of what drives the effort.
"And that starts at the very top with our boss. With President Crowe, his dad was a WWII veteran, and he was part of a military family," Banzhaf said. "So when you have it all the way at the top, it trickles down to everybody else."
The week will include events hosted by different ASU colleges, among them a Friday evening workout, a veteran's powwow and the Salute to Service football game on Friday, when ASU plays Colorado.
Banzhaf said there will also be a flyover at the game.
"I think we’re doing a flyover this year, so we’ll have planes rocking through," he said. "How can we produce salute the service that’s beyond expectation. It’s one thing to be military-friendly and say thank you for your service, but being military supportive is more of what ASU is about."
Banzhaf brings a personal perspective to the celebration. He is one of the 700 veterans working at ASU and was recently inducted into Arizona's Veterans Hall of Fame.
"Less than one-tenth of 1% of all the veterans in Arizona are inducted into the hall of fame, so it was a really big honor for me. It’s humbling," Banzhaf said.
"It’s not the service that you have while you’re in your uniform. It’s the service after the uniform."
He said he hopes the event makes veterans feel valued and encourages students to give back in their own way.
"We live in this democracy, but it takes each and every one of us to do the work," Banzhaf said.
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