Veterans Day Program

media release: The Wisconsin Union and UW–Madison’s University Veteran Services (UVS) invite the public to a free Veterans Day celebration on Nov. 11 at Memorial Union, featuring refreshments, a Veterans Day program and a centennial Memorial Union groundbreaking ceremony.

Doors to the Main Lounge open at 1:30 p.m. with refreshments provided by the Wisconsin Union and a performance by the Wisconsin Brass Quintet. 

The Wisconsin Union team has created a reimagined W pin to commemorate Memorial Union’s 100th groundbreaking anniversary and in honor of Badger veterans; a limited supply will be available at the Veterans Day event registration table outside of the Main Lounge. In the early days of the Wisconsin Union, which was founded in 1907, UW–Madison graduates received a W lapel pin, symbolizing their connection to the university. During World War II, service members wrote to the Union team, requesting replacements after losing theirs during service. 

Guests are invited to view highlights from the Badger Veteran Photo Project before the Veterans Day program begins. Created by the UVS team, this project shares the stories of Badger service members and veterans, including who the person is behind the uniform. 

The Veterans Day program will begin in the Main Lounge at 2 p.m. with a performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” by the Wisconsin Brass Quintet and remarks by the following speakers: Joe Rasmussen, director of UVS and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran; Jake Baggott, UW–Madison associate vice chancellor for Student Affairs, executive director of University Health Services and a U.S. Army and National Guard veteran; Christopher McElgunn, deputy secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran; and Brenna Pratt, a UW–Madison student and a U.S. Navy veteran.  

At 2:30 p.m., the Wisconsin Union team will host a Memorial Union groundbreaking anniversary ceremony on the central exterior stairwell off of Memorial Hall, commemorating the building’s original groundbreaking 100 years prior on Nov. 11, 1925. 

The ceremony will include remarks by Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Wisconsin Union Executive Director Mark Guthier and Wisconsin Union President and UW–Madison student Adeline Wood, who will reflect on Memorial Union’s legacy as both a memorial and a community space.

Memorial Union was dedicated to fallen UW–Madison service members. The names of Badgers who were killed in the Civil War, Spanish-American War, and World War I are inscribed on wooden plaques in Memorial Hall. The Wisconsin Union team continues to honor fallen Badger service members through an interactive, electronic kiosk in Memorial Hall, called the Gold Star Honor Roll, which includes the stories of more than 900 fallen alumni service members. The stories can also be read online at uwgoldstarhonorroll.org. 

“Since its beginning, Memorial Union has been both a memorial and a place where life happens, a place for living, where people join together in community,” Guthier said. “As we honor the service of veterans and service members, we also celebrate the life that continues here every day.”

The ceremony will closely mirror the original groundbreaking, including similar organizational and departmental representation from 100 years ago. The ceremony will feature some archival images of service members using Memorial Union throughout its 100-year history.

Ceremony featured guests are anticipated to include Guthier, Wood, UW–Madison Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Lori Reesor, UW–Madison Dean of the Graduate School William Karpus, Wisconsin Alumni Association Chief Alumni Engagement Officer and Executive Director Sarah Schutt, Associated Students of Madison Chair Landis Varughese, UW–Madison Vice Chancellor for University Relations Craig Thompson, Wisconsin Union Emeritus Director Ted Crabb, and Student Services Finance Committee Chair Lander Levers. 

The featured guests on Nov. 11, 1925, included UW–Madison Dean of the Graduate School Charles Slichter, Memorial Union Building Committee member and Wisconsin Alumni Association President George Haight, UW–Madison President Glenn Frank, two representatives from the Women's Self-Government Association, and student Union Board member Norton Smith.

Following the ceremony, the Wisconsin Union will distribute a limited-edition commemorative medallion, while supplies last, to attendees that commemorates the 100th anniversary of the groundbreaking and Memorial Union’s significance as both a memorial to service members and a center for community life. The medallions were inspired by challenge coins, which are presented to service members in a variety of circumstances, such as to recognize an achievement or unit affiliation.

“We are using this occasion, in part, to recommit to students,” Guthier said. “Students called for the construction of a union and raised the funds to build it.”

This ceremony marks the beginning of efforts that lead up to the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of Memorial Union’s opening, which the Wisconsin Union team will celebrate 2027–2028.

In addition, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., UVS will host a dog-tag engraving station in Gekas Commons, across from the Rathskeller in Memorial Union. Members of the community can dedicate a tag to a veteran or service member in their lives.

“One of the first rites of passage for those who join the military is the issuance of dog tags,” Rasmussen said. “In an environment where everyone is wearing the same thing, dog tags stand out as special. They are a daily reminder of individuality and the ultimate price a service member has agreed to pay, and it’s that dual purpose that makes dog tags ordinarily special. Many end up tucked away in a drawer, while others are given, either personally or after tragedy, to loved ones as a forever reminder. Our dog tag event provides our campus community with a chance to join and celebrate this unique military experience.”

Guests can learn more about the Veterans Day program here.