Students, Michigan military personnel and supporters gathered Thursday night to have a good time while raising money for a military memorial at Club Rush, 131 Albert Ave.
The event was hosted by Spartan Warriors, a student-run organization created in October 2010 to support Michigan military personnel, president and criminal justice junior Brian McCoy said.
McCoy, a veteran who served in Iraq, said all money raised by the $5 cover charge at the door of Club Rush on Thursday and other donations given by interested patrons would go toward the creation of a statewide memorial honoring military personnel from Michigan who have died during tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“The men that have died deserve the recognition and the right to be seen as heroes,” McCoy said.
McCoy said networking and support available to Michigan soldiers isn’t as vast as it is in other states and said he hoped the event at Club Rush and subsequent events hosted by Spartan Warriors would bring increased awareness to the cause among students and East Lansing residents.
“A lot of times, you don’t hear … about the sacrifices from Michiganders, right in our own state,” he said. “We’re here to support our soldiers, and to provide the support that the soldiers and their families deserve for the sacrifice that they’re giving.”
Patrick Tackett, a member of the Army National Guard who attended the event at Club Rush, said he supported Spartan Warriors’ cause wholeheartedly. He said members of Michigan’s military who die in the name of their country deserve to be honored with a memorial and remembrance.
“We’re all leaving our family and friends to take care of our country,” Tackett said. “Anybody that sacrifices their life for their country should be honored.”
Many students also attended the event to support the cause. Matt Lafferty, an urban and regional planning senior, said some members of his fraternity, Lambda Chi Alpha, encouraged the efforts of Spartan Warriors by coming to the event and said it was a very important cause for them.
“One of our (fraternity) brothers is joining (the) military, and we’re very supportive of all that,” Lafferty said. “I don’t mind paying $5 coverage for it — it’s always great to support the military.”
Having a memorial to honor fallen soldiers from Michigan is important because it shows respect and remembrance toward those who gave their lives for their country, criminal justice senior Matthew Chamberlain said.
“If you don’t remember your heroes, you don’t remember your nation,” Chamberlain said.
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