BOZEMAN — Montana State University unveiled its new Veterans Park on Friday, a dedicated space honoring the service of veterans.
The park, located on MSU’s campus beside the Travis W. Atkins Veteran Support Center, offers veterans, active service members, and all who have friends and family who have served a place for reflection.
WATCH: Inside MSU's New Veterans Park: Honoring Military Service on Campus
“There’s been a lot of veterans who have gone to Montana State University and have served,” said Terry Hamburg, a retired U.S. Army colonel.
Hamburg, who earned his degree in biomedical sciences at MSU and served as ASMSU Vice President in 1984, has special ties to the university.
He now helps teach U.S. 101 classes and spends time at the Veteran Support Center named after Travis W. Atkins, a Bozeman native and Medal of Honor recipient who was killed in Iraq in 2007.
“The Veterans Support Center provides a space where veterans can go, and we’re around people that we think alike,” Hamburg explained.
The new park features two flagpoles and seven stone pillars that represent the six U.S. military branches, as well as prisoners of war and those missing in action.
“This is a fantastic outdoor space that both provides a gathering and conversation space for our campus, but also honors the veterans that have served in uniform in our nation’s armed forces,” said Michael Becker, MSU’s interim vice president for communications.
Becker added that MSU is one of the top ten military-friendly schools in the nation.
“We’re very proud of how we serve student veterans at Montana State," he said. "This fall, we have about 700 students receiving veteran benefits at the university.”
Hamburg said the new Veterans Park is a reminder that "everything here is because veterans have fought to keep us free and to give us a free education."
