University administrators, students and veterans gathered at Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers at Arlington Cemetery to witness a wreath laying ceremony Monday.

Sophomore Veronica Maria Hoyer, who returned from Afghanistan this May, served on the honor guard for the ceremony, flanked by officials such as University President Steven Knapp.

“The fact that I was able to take part in this sort of ceremony, now that I’m a veteran, I felt really honored,” Hoyer, who served in the Air Force, said.

As part of the intelligence surveillance team, she described herself as “the eyes in the sky” for the troops facing IEDs and firefights on the ground.

Knapp, who laid the wreath during the ceremony, said he wanted to take part in the ceremony “to honor the memory of those who sacrificed for us, and really in honor of our current students who have spent part of their lives defending our freedoms.”