IU veterans honored during football game

Rain and wind might have kept some fans away from Sunday's football game against the University of Connecticut, but it did not stop several IU ROTC cadets and cadre members from showing up. \nAs part of the Operation Tribute to Freedom initiative, sponsored by the U.S. Military, eight student and faculty members who recently returned from service in Iraq and Afghanistan were honored at the game. \nThe cadets, soldiers and officers were acknowledged for their service during a halftime ceremony. Two veteran soldiers, home from Iraq on leave, served as honorary game captains and assisted with the coin toss before kickoff. Throughout the game, taped messages from local soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan played on the large video screen above the south end zone. \n"All the people in the stands were cheering really loud, and it showed us that they still support us," said Sgt. 1st Class Vernard Roundtree, senior military instructor for the Army ROTC department at IU and an Iraq veteran who served in the 1st Cavalry Division. "I think it was a great thing, recognizing the individuals, for one, and then what the military has done as a whole." \nRoundtree said he and the other soldiers were proud of their service and are happy to see support from the public even at a time when public support for the war in Iraq is low. \n"I have had a lot of people come up to me out of the blue and shake my hand and say thank you," Roundtree added. "It shows that the American public in general supports us, even if they disagree with what our commander-in-chief is doing."\nCadets present at the ceremony said they were proud to be honored at the game but were quick to downplay individual achievements. \n"The reason we wear the uniform is not for recognition," said sophomore Cadet John James, who served in Iraq with the 151st Infantry Regiment. "We wear it to serve our country and because we love our country, and we want to defend it." \nJames said ROTC members are not the only veterans on campus and there are more than most people realize. \n"It's a little bit weird walking around being 22 and calling yourself a veteran, but there is a whole generation of young veterans out there," he said. \nJames and the other cadets said the cheers from the crowd and even little things like saying thanks makes a big difference to them. They said because media coverage is so focused on violence and terror, people tend to overlook the positive aspects of the United States' presence overseas. \n"We do a lot of good stuff -- a lot of people have no idea that we're rebuilding schools and hospitals," James said. "A lot of the time those stories don't get out because of all the violence"