May is a special month for those in and out of the military. For service members and veterans, it’s a chance to pay tribute to support families and spouses during Military Appreciation Month, and honor the memory of those who have sacrificed for this nation on Memorial day. The month of May provides an opportunity to say thank you to those, past and present, who have contributed to the U.S military.

“My dad was in the Marine Corp for a while and now he’s in the National Guard,” junior Jules Merchant said. “It’s hard for my family when he leaves for drill every month because he make us feel secure.”

Some students who have family members in the military can relate to what Merchant and her family go through.

“I feel different having a parent in the military in the sense that people don’t respect the military as much as I do,” Merchant said. “Most people don’t understand what it’s like for your parent to be gone and the reason why.”

According to students, having a family member overseas is harder than ever. Most of them are deployed for eight months to a year.

“My dad is in the Army National Guard,” sophomore Katie Rosson said. “It definitely was weird not having him around, but we still had communication daily so it wasn’t as harsh.”

Rosson’s dad just recently got back from his first deployment in Kuwait.