Veteran's Day: a time to remember, give thanks

Jarred Logan stands amongst missile and ammunition debris at Balad Air Base in Iraq. Logan was stationed at the base for 45 days in 2006 as a member of the Air National Guard.
Courtesy of Jarred Logan

Today is November 11. Today is a federal holiday. Today Americans honor the military members who have served our country. Today is Veterans Day.

However, some students might go about their day on campus without thanking veterans or even realizing that this day is any different.

“People don’t remember Veterans Day like they remember Christmas or the Fourth of July,” said Rachel Tampa, freshman in LAS and founder of Operation SOS, an RSO formed to appreciate soldiers and veterans. “They may see it on a calendar but they don’t think about it.”

Jarred Logan, a veteran and senior in Aviation, agrees, wishing more Americans would recognize where most of their freedoms came from.

“Some people think ‘alright, sweet, I can view it as a day off,’ instead of thinking ‘why did we get this day off?’” Logan said.

Logan is in the Air National Guard and served his deployment as an aircraft mechanic at the Balad Airbase in Iraq.

As a kid, Logan wanted to be an astronaut when he grew up. Those dreams evolved into becoming a pilot after he spoke with some pilots at a job fair his freshman year of high school.

“I always had my eyes in the sky,” Logan said. “I loved anything that had to do with space.”

After he graduated from high school, Logan packed up what he was allowed to bring — a small bag of toiletries — and headed to Texas for basic training. After technical training, Logan underwent

‘on the job training’ where he learned the aircraft at his unit inside and out.

After mastering F–16s, Logan volunteered to go with his unit, the 183rd Fighter Wing in Springfield, for 45 days to the Balad Airbase in Iraq. As a mechanic, Logan was in charge of making sure the aircraft was ready for flight, worked properly and fixed any damages.

“They cannot fly until I sign the form that says this aircraft is safe to fly,” Logan said.

Logan mostly stayed inside the base while serving in Iraq. His day started at 11 p.m., and he would work on the aircraft until noon. He would then leave the 120 degree heat outside to the 100 degree air–conditioned tent to sleep. Logan expressed his gratitude for the care packages people would send, which helped keep his mind off “what we were dealing with everyday.” Gold Bond powder, he mentioned, was especially useful in Iraq, in order to help keep his skin cool and dry.

“We take so much for granted in this country that other people in other countries wish they could take for granted,” Logan said.

While his military experience is mostly what he expected it be, he doesn’t take the small luxuries most Americans enjoy for granted anymore, because he knows how much he missed them overseas.

“I made the decision. I volunteered. I raised my hand,” Logan said. “Yeah, you get the whole ‘I want to go home’ thing. I would like not to sweat. I do miss family. But the whole time I didn’t regret it.”

Once he got back from Iraq he had about a month before he started school at the University.

Today, Logan is a crew chief at the 182nd Airlift Wing in Peoria and is working with C–130s. He goes to the unit one weekend a month and for two weeks over the summer to “hit the books” and to make sure his aircraft knowledge is sharp.

If the opportunity arises for him to go overseas again, Logan would take it. Logan’s younger brother is following in his footsteps and after he graduates high school in December he hopes to join Logan at the unit in Peoria. The brothers hope to serve together in Iraq.

At 23, Logan is graduating this spring and hopes to get a job flying for the military.

“I don’t expect things to be handed to me,” Logan said. “If I want something I’ll go and get it.”

As for Veterans Day, Logan plans to call up a couple of his military friends and thank them for their service.

On campus, ROTC members will be present at a ceremony in the Armory honoring veterans, said Larkin Crain, ROTC member and sophomore in Computer Engineering.

“The holiday is not only for them to have recognition within in the branch, but also for the public to thank them for their service to the country, the sacrifice they have given and to remember the friends who have fallen,” he said.