Members of the Aggies Support United Service Organizations spent Sunday hosting their first RED, WHITE and BARBECUE where they raised money for the United Service Organizations.
Erica Lloyd, political science junior and ASUSO president, said this event gave students the opportunity to learn about veterans from a more personal viewpoint.
“Students who have no connection with the military are getting to talk to these people, learn about what their experiences have been at war and back at home,” Lloyd said. “It gives them a better perspective of what our military actually does.”
Robert Rubio, political science sophomore, said as a student in ASUSO and a veteran, he knows the significance of support toward the USO.
“This is a really good chance for us to give back, because there isn’t a service member that has been deployed that hasn’t received something from the USO,” Rubio said. “So being out of the military and having the chance to give back, I jumped at the opportunity.”
Lloyd said ASUSO decided to send funds raised from the semester to the Houston USO Operation Phone Home.
Rubio said USO’s Operation Phone Home delivers prepaid international cards to deployed troops free of charge.
“When I was deployed, the USO would give us a stack of phone cards each having up to 100 minutes on them,” Rubio said. “It was really nice because when you are away and want to call home you don’t want to be charging them $10 each minute.”
Troy Roeie, a Navy veteran, said even though the members of ASUSO do not have any connection to the military they are still willing to help out.
“It is always neat to find out people with no military background and none in their family that they are willing to come out and support organizations like this,” Roeie said.
Rubio said ASUSO is an organization for not only students but also student veterans.
“This being the only USO that is on a collegiate campus, makes it that much more special and lets me know that I chose the right university to go to,” Rubio said. “After this past Veterans Day, with all the ceremonies that took place I knew I was where I was suppose to be.”