COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Members of the Pikes Peak State College (PPSC) community gathered on Wednesday to honor veterans at the college's annual wreath-laying ceremony.
PPSC says more than 30% of their students are connected to the military, and the annual ceremony is a way to bring the college and surrounding community together to honor the service of U.S. military veterans.
Donna Nelson, executive director of the PPSC Foundation, says Veterans Day is always an emotional day for her. Nelson served as a medical NCO and joined the service at 17.
"The only other person in my family who joined the military was my grandfather," Nelson said. "So making the choice at 17 years old to join the military and then at 20 years old to go off to combat, which is something that I wasn't expecting, changed my life completely."
Nelson says Veterans Day is a chance for her to remember her friends from the service who didn't come back.
"I'm very, very lucky that I made it back and I recognize that," Nelson said. "I'm very grateful for my experience serving as a medical NCO in the military."
Nelson's first deployment was in Germany. She then was deployed to Desert Storm and Desert Shield, and then was in Fort Gordon in Georgia before moving to the Eisenhower Army Medical Center when she worked in the emergency room. Nelson also served in Korea in an aviation unit, before eventually ending up at Fort Carson.
Nelson says when she was deployed, she took care of enemy prisoners of war. She says the experience taught her about dealing with people she may not get along with, and translated into her work with city government.
She says since her time in the service, she has seen people's views of Veterans Day change.
"Before I served, the country had not been in combat for some time, I think since the Vietnam War," Nelson said. "Military service and veterans were taken for granted. There's been so much since then. So many people have family members who have been deployed to combat zones. I think that the country recognizes it more because of that and respects it more because of that."
The college is holding several events throughout the rest of the week, including a Field of Flags across its campuses where community members can place a flap in honor of a veteran or service member through November 16.
There is also a campus lunch series on November 13 for people to learn more about the Veteran Readiness and Employment program. Thursday, Nov. 12, PPSC will hold a Veterans Day Presentation Series from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. It will focus on discussion around law and military justice, according to officials.
Nelson says it's important for students here to recognize they have talents they may not have even tapped into yet.
"You have amazing, incredible skills that you're not even thinking of right now, but they will come out when they are needed, so do not be afraid," Nelson said. "
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