Since the very beginning, our building Memorial Union has served as a memorial to University of Wisconsin-Madison service members. Etched in the stone at the building’s entrance is the following: “Erected and Dedicated to the Memory of the Men and Women of the University of Wisconsin Who Served in our Country’s Wars.”
Since 2018, on Veterans Day, our team has acknowledged our country’s service members, including UW-Madison students and alumni who have served, in different ways; this year, the Union team did so with red, white and blue lights as well as a 30-foot inflatable Lady Liberty torch replica at Memorial Union. Mark Guthier, the associate vice chancellor for Student Affairs and Wisconsin Union director, also shared a message for service members and veterans. Click here to read the message. In this story, we’ll share you with some service members-related photos from our past, including images of our recent Veterans Day display.
Pictured: Military trainees sit outside Memorial Union with students. Estimated to have been photographed between 1942 and 1945.
Pictured: Hallway outside of Main Lounge at Memorial Union, which houses wooden plaques with the names of fallen UW-Madison service members from the Civil War, the Spanish-American War and World War I. Date unknown.
Pictured: A close-up view of one of the four wooden plaques with the names of fallen UW-Madison service members in Memorial Union’s Memorial Hall, which is outside of the Main Lounge. Photographed in October 2020.
On Nov. 11, 2017, Veterans Day, the Wisconsin Union team unveiled the electronic Gold Star Honor Roll display in Memorial Union’s Memorial Hall. The Gold Star Honor Roll includes the names and stories of more than 1,000 fallen UW-Madison service members. The Union team thanks the UW-Madison Classes of 1963 and 1967 for their support of this project. The display’s names and stories can also be read online at uwgoldstarhonorroll.org.In both 2018 and 2019, the Wisconsin Union team held Veterans Day celebrations in honor of service members and veterans. The events included speeches by student service members. Photo taken in November 2019.
Pictured is a 30-foot inflatable replica of the Statue of Liberty’s torch on Nov. 11, 2020, on the east deck of Memorial Union. The torch is displayed in acknowledgement of veterans on Veterans Day.
Pictured is a front of Memorial Union lit in red, white and blue on Nov. 11, 2020. The display was created in celebration of Veterans Day and of the incredible heroes of the United States military.
The University Veteran Services at UW-Madison champions our military-connected students by providing vital assistance with navigating and accessing military benefits and connections to a community that shares and understands their life experiences. Click here to donate to support veterans services at UW-Madison.
