Brent Cochrane, a junior in communication, has a little more than three years of college under his belt.

He has already served his country in the Army for nine years.

“I joined for college money and also to be patriotic,” Cochrane said.

Besides being able to express his love for America, being in the Army gave him the opportunity to explore new interests of his, such as traveling.

“My favorite part of being in the Army was being able to travel abroad, having the opportunity to go to Bulgaria, Germany, Italy, and Iraq. I love traveling,” Cochrane said.

And as much as he enjoyed traveling, whenever he was overseas he longed to be with the ones he love, especially his wife.

“I was deployed January 2005 to June 2006. I got married right after I came back and we just started dating before I left. We basically dated through letters,” Cochrane said.

Cochrane said he appreciates when people are grateful for his military service and the sacrifices he had to make.

“When people find out I was in the Army, they usually say thanks for your service,” Cochrane said.

Cochrane also said he feels a connection to other veterans because they were in the same situations and share some of the same experiences with them.

“It’s obviously a conversation starter. It’s like going to the same high school. Even if we didn’t know each other, we find out each other’s experiences and that we went to the same places, such as Iraq,” Cochrane said.

Though Cochrane said he would not be able to participate in any Veteran’s Day festivities due to work, he said he encourages others to take a moment to recognize those who sacrificed or were willing to sacrifice their lives for our country.

“It’s important to appreciate the sacrifice soldiers make in day to day life … I was talking to my brother-in-law the other day, and it’s good that other people recognize what Veteran’s Day means, especially little kids. I know some of them have Veteran’s Day off. I hope some of them realize what the day off of school is for,” Cochrane said.

Alumnus advocates for student veterans

Jason Lindsay, a 2009 graduate and former student senator, felt a need to create an organization  dedicated to helping veterans at the University. Lindsay, who graduated this summer, founded N.C. State Student Veterans, an organization dedicated to networking and advocating for veterans on campus.

“Typically when veterans return, they are typically older students. Most people in the group are in their mid to late 20s and a lot of them have families… There’s a bond and connection of shared experience when vets face unique challenges in a college environment. our purpose is to support veterans, network and kind of reinstill what we had in the military,” Lindsay said.

Lindsay, who has been in the Army Reserve for 9 years, said the main purpose behind the organization is to network by bringing veterans together and to also advocate for changes that make their adjustment to college life easier.

“A lot of people return from combat, they go from being a soldier of combat to school which is a very different experience. A lot of veterans have injuries, physical limitations. We have some amputees on campus, some with traumatic brain injury, bruised brains, concentration, vision and hearing problems, post traumatic stress disorder, and all different kinds of physical and psychological issues,” Lindsay said.

Though Lindsay founded the group in January, it has already made progress in its 11 months of existence.

“Last year, we got the University to grant P.E. credit to people who were in military. We also try to advocate services for veterans and publicize how many are veterans at N.C. State,” Lindsay said.

Student Veterans is also actively raising funds for those serving in the military now

“One of our biggest projects is selling Krispy Kreme doughnuts in the Brickyard and in the Free Expression Tunnel. We are going to send care packages to Iraq over Christmas to deployed troops” Lindsay said.

Lindsay he is going to be the master of ceremony for the organization’s Veterans Day ceremony in Riddick hall that will feature Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Tom Stafford, who is a veteran, a video tribute, a presentation of colors, a trumpet playing Taps, a memorial song to honor men and women killed in combat.

Though Lindsay and his organization works tirelessly to get help veterans, the most meaningful act is something that takes very little effort.

“The biggest thing any civilian can do is to simply say two words, thank you. There are so many people hung up in their everyday lives and they hear the news about Iraq and Afghanistan … They never actually say ‘thank you.’ People can recognize veterans and also remember those who have died in service. Say thank you to veteran,” Lindsay said.