It was a glorious day for Illini football – well, not really. The warm summer weather had turned sour, reminding citizens of the Land of Lincoln that, indeed, fall was coming. Western Illinois was about to be defeated in a lackluster Illini showing and we would certainly celebrate the Chiefless victory with lame orange and blue fireworks afterward. Yet before all of that could happen, we were reminded of the majestic military might that the United States exercises as two F-16s soared loudly above, the crowd trying to match the roar of their engines with applauding cheers of its own.

Moments such as these have given Hallmark a market for Fourth of July cards. That pride that stirred in those proud Americans in attendance was only to be insulted moments later as Coach Zook and an eager-to-win Illini squad dashed onto the field, accompanied by the state of Illinois flag and the Stars and Stripes.

Many watched with a disgusted horror as the two players carrying the flags ran them to the sideline, only to discard them to the ground with an indifferent toss. The controversial event, in front of the famed veterans, the Tuskegee Airmen, would continue with the dragging of the colors across Zuppke Field’s fake dirt and grass, much to the dismay of Betsy Ross, the flag code, veterans and any freedom lovers in attendance.

The event, on the whole, was certainly an accident. Neither the players nor the assistants that decided to render our flag to but a cheap throw rug acted out of malice, I hope. While the event raises questions about the respect we display toward veterans and those who have given their lives fighting with the colors, it is traditionally an exception for the UI to be so crass toward patriotism and veterans’ affairs.

The reality of the rule is that the University of Illinois and other state institutions have been shouldering the costs of veterans in recent years and a great deal of credit is due to them for not bailing out on our vets. The Illinois Veteran Grant, which ensures free tuition to former members of military service at any state school, has seen a large deal of shirking on payments from the General Assembly and our esteemed “Hot Rod” governor. Who hasn’t, right?

The issue with these specific insufficient funds coming from the Statehouse lies in the multimillion dollar tab that is left in the laps of University budgets that are already spread thinner than suburbanites and their subprime mortgages.

The Illinois Board of Higher Education tabbed the difference between grant claims and state payout to be $29.7 million between 2002 and 2006. Clearly, with universities finding themselves strapped for cash as the state coffers go dry, the average, nonservice students will likely end up shouldering the costs of our servicemen and women who seek a better life through academic achievement beyond their years of commitment.

While the GI Bill and our additional resources are also available to veterans, the state of Illinois has been traditionally one of the more veteran-friendly states for military families.

As our state government has been anything but reliable in recent years on picking up its share of the tab, we can be sure that our sterling reputation may not always be such. Certainly while symbols may not have the same monetary effect as funding these programs, they do call to our hearts the thoughts of just what kind of sacrifice has been given for us and our comfortable, free lifestyle.

Perhaps it was the postwar patriotism of our respective world wars that created such a legacy of service in Illinois to our veterans. Perhaps we’re in need of new monuments to inspire lawmakers to go to bat for our veterans? Memorial Stadium, as noted before, now looks to enshrine Harold “Red” Grange and his fallen comrades as opposed to further structural homage to the American soldiers for whom it was named.

According to Assistant Athletic Director Warren Hood, however, families can soon honor their former soldiers by going to an Alumni Association kiosk in the renovated stadium and looking them up. As heart-jerking as a point-click-honor memorial would be to those who can find it, I doubt it will pack the punch needed to remind us of how important our soldiers are.

Whatever the costs, whatever the bills, let the University of Illinois and the state continue our heritage of honor and service to those who gave their all for us.

Further, as the state’s flagship institution, which produces some of the military’s finest officers, let the UI community show leadership on this front, one tribute at a time.