More than 2 million people in the United States serve in the nation’s military and many have families and children who are also impacted through their service. On Monday, the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs is encouraging people to wear purple and participate in its Purple Up! Day as a way to show support and thank military children for their sacrifices that come with having military family members.
Purple Up! Day will be held in the basement of B.B. Comer Hall from 1 to 4 p.m. Monday, celebrating UA students who are military dependents and from 4 to 7 p.m. in honor of veteran and service members at the University and their families. Purple is known to symbolize all branches of the military – and therefore all military children – because it’s the combination of Army green, Marine red and Coast Guard, Navy and Air Force blue.
With April being Month of the Military Child, Operation Military Kids is holding Purple Up! events throughout the month to show support for military children of the nation. Military kids and their families will be able to play games, participate in different activities and win prizes.
Alex Karagas, coordinator of the University’s Office of VMA, said Purple Up! Day is meant to let the University know that there are close to 1,500 children of veterans and service members on campus, which includes survivors of those who have passed away.
“We want the University to honor and recognize them, and it’s our way of celebrating those students and showing the large number of those students that UA has and that they have a place in our office; we do all the same services for our dependents as we do for our service and veteran members,” Karagas said.
Sumo suits, free food, giveaways and other fun attractions have been arranged for the Purple Up! Day to show the student dependents that the Office of VMA has a place for them. “Bouncy houses” and a duck pond have been lined up for younger kids, Karagas said.
Zach Boyd, a junior majoring in finance and the president of the Campus Veteran’s Association, said student dependents can benefit from the Purple Up! Day.
“I think the dependents’ day is very important, and one of my goals when I became president is that I wanted to increase our numbers and dependents are part of those numbers,” Boyd said. “I want them to feel like this is as much as their home as it is to veterans, because we’re all pretty much part of the same family and I want that to stick in their minds.”
The University brings the military dependents together on campus through the Office of VMA by showing military dependent students around and connecting them with other students who can empathize with their situations, Boyd said.
Sara Cummings, a sophomore majoring in journalism and a communications student worker within the Office of VMA, said why the Purple Up! Day is a platform for student dependents, veterans and their families.
“The event is about showing support for student veterans and military families and kids and that’s where the whole purple comes from,” Cummings said. “So even if people can’t come to the event, wearing purple still shows that you’re supporting military families and our student veterans.”
