(Radio Iowa) – While today (Monday) is Veterans Day, a solemn service on Wednesday will recognize three former Iowa State University alumni who served in the military and made the ultimate sacrifice. Megan Moore, with the I-S-U Memorial Union, says the Gold Star Hall Ceremony has been a tradition on the Ames campus for more than two decades. “Our first honoree is Air Force Second Lieutenant Max Harvey Collins. He died when his aircraft crashed on takeoff during the Korean War,” Moore says. “We are also honoring James Wayne Harrick, Junior. He was a captain in the Air Force, and he was on a mission when his plane was lost near North Vietnam.”

This year’s third honoree is Army First Lieutenant Sidney Peterson, who served in World War Two and died after taking on anti-aircraft fire aboard a B-26 Marauder. “These wonderful service members were young men, and they were Iowa State students studying various degrees here, and so part of the ceremony is we tell their personal story,” Moore says. “We tell from the very beginning, stories from when they were born and what their family life was like, and then we do go into detail of what their life was like here at Iowa State.”

Wednesday’s program is scheduled to begin at 4:15 P-M at the ISU Memorial Union.  “The Gold Star Hall Ceremony did start in 2003 and it’s our way to remember and honor Iowa State students who died while serving their country,” Moore says. “Their names are engraved into the walls and so every year, we select a handful of our service members who are in the Gold Star Hall to be honored at our ceremony.”

The Memorial Union was built in 1928 as a memorial to Iowa State students who died in World War One. It has continued to be a living memorial for students who died in future conflicts and names have been added to the walls throughout the years.