Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
“They come to places that show that they care” - Veterans honored again at this weekend’s Salute to Veterans and Armed Forces Game
11/9/2023 4:00:00 PM | Football, General
For the 41st time, MTSU will honor our nation’s heroes during the football season at Floyd Stadium
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — When Bud Morris first stepped onto the field as part of the Salute to Veterans and Armed Forces halftime parade beside his fellow Army veterans, nearly 40 years ago, the MTSU alumnus had to take a moment to collect himself.
"The first time that I walked across the field, I cried," Morris said. "It was not very popular at the time to be back from Vietnam."
But walking on the turf of Floyd Stadium, seeing the cheers from the Blue Raider crowd as the Band of Blue played "The Army Goes Rolling Along", reminded Morris of why after his service, he decided to enroll at Middle Tennessee State. It's the same reason why an average of around 1,200 veterans and military family members are enrolled students at MTSU every year, Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Keith M. Huber, senior advisor for veterans and leadership initiatives at MTSU said.
"They come here because they know Middle Tennessee State University cares," Huber said. "Veterans come to where they know they are appreciated. They come to where their family members can receive assistance. They come to places that show that they care."
For 40 seasons, one of the most public and tangible ways the MTSU community has shown its appreciation and admiration for veterans and active service members has been the Salute to Veterans and Armed Forces game each November.
Traditionally scheduled for the home football game closest to the Veterans Day holiday, November 11, the 41st Annual game will be hosted for the first time ever on Veterans Day itself, when Middle Tennessee hosts FIU at 2:30 p.m. this Saturday in Floyd Stadium.
Morris remembers the early stages of how the game came to be under the direction of John Fergus, a then long-time employee with Tennessee's Veterans' Affairs office and Dr. Joe Nunley, the then-MTSU alumni relations director. The pair wanted to create an event similar to the annual Veterans Day weekend picnic Richard Fulton, the Mayor of Nashville, put together in the Music City for the MTSU grads that were veterans. Morris suggested it be open to any veteran and plans were made.
The event started fairly humbly, Morris said, with a similar set up to the Fulton picnic, as veterans enjoyed a picnic of their own at the tables that were once near Floyd Stadium.
"The first couple of years, you almost didn't realize it was going on, it was so new," Morris said.
But the event quickly grew over the years, with military flyovers, special game ball deliveries and the halftime parade on the field, which is often the highlight of the afternoon for fans and veterans alike. The picnic has stuck around too, now organized through the Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center on campus, which opened formerly in November 2015.
The Daniels Center continued a long history of veteran support on campus at MTSU. Morris recalled when he was a student, even when he was just a member of the Army ROTC prior to enlisting, that the university had a Veterans Affairs employee with an office on campus, opening up a plethora of resources to both student-veterans and veterans in the Rutherford County area. Huber says that legacy continues today, with the Daniels Center staffed with two full-time VA employees, one of whom is a mental health counselor.
"President McPhee allows us to serve veterans and family members worldwide without any requirement or restriction that you're affiliated with MTSU," Huber said, estimating that the Daniels Center helps around 11,000 veterans and military families every year, well beyond the 1,200 or so that are affiliated directly with MTSU in a given year.
One of those veterans that has visited the Daniels Center is Zach Craver, a MTSU student in his first semester since leaving the Army, most recently being stationed at Fort Campbell as a Helicopter Mechanic. Craver, a Sports Management student, currently works as a student worker in the Athletic Department's marketing office, chose MTSU in part for its proximity to the Nashville metro area and the job opportunities in sports there, as well as how close it was to where he was currently living. But it was a well-known fact among his fellow soldiers at Fort Campbell that MTSU was a welcoming place for veterans.
"It's a big transition going from military to college," Craver said. "To us as veterans, it's nice for us to see that we're being welcomed into the normal lifestyle again. There's a big outreach program, and there's a lot of people you can connect with."
One of those areas that has become a place of connection for both veterans and their families has been the Salute to Veterans and Armed Forces game, which often allows veterans of different generations to interact and meet one another. The free tickets provided to veterans and their families also make it a great event for those in transition, Huber said.
"What strikes me the most is always the family participation," Huber said. "As you look at tapes of every one of these games, I always have my daughter at my side, because I've been apart from her so much. The ability to have your family there is very profound to me."
When Huber retired from active service after 38 years in the Army, he knew he wanted to make up for the time he was away from his family on tours in places such as Panama, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Haiti, Honduras, Kosovo, and Afghanistan. And the events surrounding Veterans Day, including the football game that weekend, give Huber a chance to help veterans help their families, in part by letting them know the resources available to them.
"The vast majority of (veterans) never apply for VA benefits," Huber said. "You go, 'Why is that?' Part of it is a lack of awareness. Part of it may be, 'Gee, the paperwork seems so daunting,' or 'I was treated poorly once.'
"But the majority don't apply for their VA benefits because we as leaders, we eat last," Huber said. "We all know people that we feel are more deserving and so we never want to deprive one of our soldiers and take it away. What ends up happening is that we only end up depriving ourselves and our families because so many of our VA benefits can benefit our family directly."
Amidst all the pageantry of the weekend, all the deserved thanks given by grateful fans who attend, that type of work done in the Daniels Center, led by Dr. Hilary Miller is highlighted even further for the veterans of the MTSU community. And it's with the Daniels Center's help, Morris notes, that so many of the "wow" moments of the day, like the special flyover presentation by the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade stationed at Fort Campbell scheduled for this year, is possible.
"They're able to work on it year-round," Morris, who sits on the planning committee for the game, said. "If you know anything about the military or the government, you have to start months in advance."
In comparison, the athletic department's contribution to the day is small. The Blue Raiders will wear special stars and stripes helmet stickers and give a platform for the MTSU community to honor those that have served even more than they do every day. But the importance of the game is not lost on the players that play in it, like quarterback Nicholas Vattiato.
"We really do truly care about it, and I hope everyone else can see that," Vattiato said. "It's not taken lightly. Our guys take a lot of pride in it."
"The first time that I walked across the field, I cried," Morris said. "It was not very popular at the time to be back from Vietnam."
But walking on the turf of Floyd Stadium, seeing the cheers from the Blue Raider crowd as the Band of Blue played "The Army Goes Rolling Along", reminded Morris of why after his service, he decided to enroll at Middle Tennessee State. It's the same reason why an average of around 1,200 veterans and military family members are enrolled students at MTSU every year, Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Keith M. Huber, senior advisor for veterans and leadership initiatives at MTSU said.
"They come here because they know Middle Tennessee State University cares," Huber said. "Veterans come to where they know they are appreciated. They come to where their family members can receive assistance. They come to places that show that they care."
For 40 seasons, one of the most public and tangible ways the MTSU community has shown its appreciation and admiration for veterans and active service members has been the Salute to Veterans and Armed Forces game each November.
Traditionally scheduled for the home football game closest to the Veterans Day holiday, November 11, the 41st Annual game will be hosted for the first time ever on Veterans Day itself, when Middle Tennessee hosts FIU at 2:30 p.m. this Saturday in Floyd Stadium.
Morris remembers the early stages of how the game came to be under the direction of John Fergus, a then long-time employee with Tennessee's Veterans' Affairs office and Dr. Joe Nunley, the then-MTSU alumni relations director. The pair wanted to create an event similar to the annual Veterans Day weekend picnic Richard Fulton, the Mayor of Nashville, put together in the Music City for the MTSU grads that were veterans. Morris suggested it be open to any veteran and plans were made.
The event started fairly humbly, Morris said, with a similar set up to the Fulton picnic, as veterans enjoyed a picnic of their own at the tables that were once near Floyd Stadium.
"The first couple of years, you almost didn't realize it was going on, it was so new," Morris said.
But the event quickly grew over the years, with military flyovers, special game ball deliveries and the halftime parade on the field, which is often the highlight of the afternoon for fans and veterans alike. The picnic has stuck around too, now organized through the Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center on campus, which opened formerly in November 2015.
The Daniels Center continued a long history of veteran support on campus at MTSU. Morris recalled when he was a student, even when he was just a member of the Army ROTC prior to enlisting, that the university had a Veterans Affairs employee with an office on campus, opening up a plethora of resources to both student-veterans and veterans in the Rutherford County area. Huber says that legacy continues today, with the Daniels Center staffed with two full-time VA employees, one of whom is a mental health counselor.
"President McPhee allows us to serve veterans and family members worldwide without any requirement or restriction that you're affiliated with MTSU," Huber said, estimating that the Daniels Center helps around 11,000 veterans and military families every year, well beyond the 1,200 or so that are affiliated directly with MTSU in a given year.
One of those veterans that has visited the Daniels Center is Zach Craver, a MTSU student in his first semester since leaving the Army, most recently being stationed at Fort Campbell as a Helicopter Mechanic. Craver, a Sports Management student, currently works as a student worker in the Athletic Department's marketing office, chose MTSU in part for its proximity to the Nashville metro area and the job opportunities in sports there, as well as how close it was to where he was currently living. But it was a well-known fact among his fellow soldiers at Fort Campbell that MTSU was a welcoming place for veterans.
"It's a big transition going from military to college," Craver said. "To us as veterans, it's nice for us to see that we're being welcomed into the normal lifestyle again. There's a big outreach program, and there's a lot of people you can connect with."
One of those areas that has become a place of connection for both veterans and their families has been the Salute to Veterans and Armed Forces game, which often allows veterans of different generations to interact and meet one another. The free tickets provided to veterans and their families also make it a great event for those in transition, Huber said.
"What strikes me the most is always the family participation," Huber said. "As you look at tapes of every one of these games, I always have my daughter at my side, because I've been apart from her so much. The ability to have your family there is very profound to me."
When Huber retired from active service after 38 years in the Army, he knew he wanted to make up for the time he was away from his family on tours in places such as Panama, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Haiti, Honduras, Kosovo, and Afghanistan. And the events surrounding Veterans Day, including the football game that weekend, give Huber a chance to help veterans help their families, in part by letting them know the resources available to them.
"The vast majority of (veterans) never apply for VA benefits," Huber said. "You go, 'Why is that?' Part of it is a lack of awareness. Part of it may be, 'Gee, the paperwork seems so daunting,' or 'I was treated poorly once.'
"But the majority don't apply for their VA benefits because we as leaders, we eat last," Huber said. "We all know people that we feel are more deserving and so we never want to deprive one of our soldiers and take it away. What ends up happening is that we only end up depriving ourselves and our families because so many of our VA benefits can benefit our family directly."
Amidst all the pageantry of the weekend, all the deserved thanks given by grateful fans who attend, that type of work done in the Daniels Center, led by Dr. Hilary Miller is highlighted even further for the veterans of the MTSU community. And it's with the Daniels Center's help, Morris notes, that so many of the "wow" moments of the day, like the special flyover presentation by the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade stationed at Fort Campbell scheduled for this year, is possible.
"They're able to work on it year-round," Morris, who sits on the planning committee for the game, said. "If you know anything about the military or the government, you have to start months in advance."
In comparison, the athletic department's contribution to the day is small. The Blue Raiders will wear special stars and stripes helmet stickers and give a platform for the MTSU community to honor those that have served even more than they do every day. But the importance of the game is not lost on the players that play in it, like quarterback Nicholas Vattiato.
"We really do truly care about it, and I hope everyone else can see that," Vattiato said. "It's not taken lightly. Our guys take a lot of pride in it."
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