Driving to Chicago with his wife Jackie in the passenger’s seat, Blake Leitch observed American flags and remembered the time he served in Iraq.

Self-reflection and remembrance is key for veterans and their families on a day like Memorial Day, Leitch said.

“Veterans do well with remembering it—the veterans who have been there and the veterans that are really impacted the most on Memorial Day remember,” he said.

Veterans make up 20 percent of the United States population.

Leitch said he does think the premise of Memorial Day has escaped the larger population and is now primarily about getting time off work and barbecuing.

“I don’t even know if they know how to reflect and show appreciation to our veterans,” Leitch said.

But, Memorial Day should not be the only day that veterans receive recognition, Leitch said.

“Stop on a daily basis whenever they see a veteran wearing a (Vietnam War) T-shirt…or license plate and leave them a little note saying ‘thank you for your service,’” Leitch said.

Monday was the 50th anniversary.

Leitch spent his Monday morning at two memorial services in Mattoon.

“It’s definitely a great time to reflect on the guys that I serviced with—in our unit we lost 15 guys, and we lost two guys in my platoon that were really close to me,” he said.

One of Leitch’s friends was killed in 2005 on Thanksgiving Day leaving behind a wife, mother and a newborn daughter.

“On Memorial Day, I can’t help but think of him and what they are going through on this day and the pains they go through on a daily basis just to try and fill void that he left,” he said.

On Sept. 16, Leitch was named the director of the Student Veterans of America while also having multiple other organization titles including the vice president of the Student Veterans of Eastern.

Leitch said he hopes to be able to help student veterans thrive on Eastern’s campus.

Leitch also started “I Heart Vets,” a foundation that raises money for veterans by selling T-shirts.

All of the proceeds will then be endowed into a scholarship to assist the organization Illinois Combat Wounded Veterans.

“I’ve already raised nearly $5,000 in six months,” he said.

The first scholarship will be given to a veteran at Lake Land College, where Leitch was a student prior to his enrollment at Eastern.

Another reason Leitch said he chose Lake Land was because the necessary amount for a scholarship endowment is lower at Lake Land.

Leitch, who was deployed to Iraq in 2005, was a recipient of a Purple Heart and five Army Accommodation medals.

Just because the war technically ended on Dec. 15, 2011 does not mean the battle is over, he said.

“To me the Iraq War might be over, but there is a war that continues every day with a lot of people that are struggling with what they did and what they saw,” he said. “(They’re) dealing with post-traumatic stress disorders (and) traumatic brain injuries. There are soldiers that have lost a limb.”

The loss will always be there, Leitch said.

“The scars are still there,” he said. “We lost a lot of guys over there.”

Nike Ogunbodede can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].