Auburn students, families and friends roared with respect at Military Appreciation Night on Cater Lawn Friday, Nov. 7, as the Tigers gear up for tomorrow's conference football matchup with Texas A&M.
Auburn Athletics Director Jay Jacobs, the Auburn Marching Band, The Tiger
Paws, the SGA events committee and Aubie were in attendance to celebrate Auburn's long tradition of military service and support.
Air Force Cadet and senior in aerospace engineering Daniel Barnes, the featured keynote speaker, spoke to the audience about passion, commitment and especially sacrifice.
"Sacrifice takes on different forms," Barnes said. "You don't really know it unless you've seen it. It's someone saying I'm going to give up my time, my relationships, my personal safety, so that you can have time, relationships and personal safety. Nothing great has ever been accomplished without sacrifice."
Barnes said that he learned a lot about sacrifice from his grandfather, a three-tour Vietnam veteran.
"I really look up to him and appreciate his sacrifice," Barnes said. "All I got came from him."
Barnes is a member of the ROTC Honors College and said he hopes others will be inspired by his actions.
"We took this opportunity not only as a time to unite the student body for an athletic event but also, since this is military appreciation, we took that opportunity to honor the men and women that fight for our lives daily," said Emma Katherine Thompson, sophomore in agricultural communications and SGA Director of Pep Rallies. "We thought this would be a great way to involve students, families and veterans."
Auburn Athletics Director Jay Jacobs, wearing a new Under Armour "State Of Auburn" shirt, declared at the beginning of the pep rally "we own this state."
"You can't talk about the Auburn family without talking about students," Jacobs said. "Without the students none of us would be here, so thank all of you for what you're doing. Tomorrow we need you to be loud and proud, just like Auburn students should be."
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