Bastrop is where Skylar Brown was born and raised. It’s the only city he ever knew. That all changed when he decided to serve his country.

“From St. Louis, to Haiti, to Germany,” said Brown, a senior social work major.

Working in the Army National Guard exposed Brown to different parts of the world he never thought he would get the chance to see.

“Meeting people from all walks of life, it opens your mind to different things that you didn’t think you could do,” Brown said.

Brown’s journey began in St. Louis, where he completed his basic training. He said it’s an experience that got off to a rocky start.

“St. Louis is probably the worst climate ever,” said Brown. “I went through winter, summer all in one day and I caught the flu down there.”

Brown said it was especially hard because he went four weeks without speaking to his family and friends. Still, it was worth it.

“It produced my character and helped me to be as diverse as possible,” Brown said.

Roger Carpenter, associate professor of history, said being in the service is “a good thing for a young person.”

“Because most of us grow up in a community where things from our standpoint are rather static,” Carpenter said.

Carpenter spent 12 years and nine months in the service between the Army and Marine Corps.

He said “the service” brought him into contact with other people that he would have never met if he had stayed home.

“After you’ve been away for a long time and come back to where you’re from, you see people who never left and see that their horizons were limited,” Carpenter said.

Carpenter also said he chose to go into the service before getting his education. Til this very day, it’s a decision he said he will never regret.

“I thought getting my education after being in the service was valuable because it allowed me to look at where I’ve been and to contextualize that experience,” Carpenter said.

Now, Carpenter gets up every morning to do what he loves, teaching. He also enjoys incorporating stories in his lectures from his time in the service.

Both Brown and Carpenter were honored on Thursday in the library  at ULM’s Veteran’s Appreciation Ceremony.

The veterans in attendance were recognized and honored for their time in the service, with a red, white and blue ribbon.

Brown was recognized as well, even though he’s been serving for only a short time.

He said with all the other negativity going on in different parts of the world, “it’s good to see some positivity.”

“It’s just good to be appreciated because the long hours take a toll on your body and it’s just good to see people appreciate that,” Brown said.