Indiana's battle against Ohio State at Memorial Stadium highlights Hoosiers' strong commitment to the military

There are a couple of anti-aircraft guns and part of the USS Indiana, including the mast, sitting outside Memorial Stadium on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington.

Its all a tribute to the men and women from Indiana who have served in the armed forces of the United States.

As No. 5 Indiana, the defending national champion, hosts No. 4 Ohio State in a Big Ten college football mega-tilt on Saturday at Memorial Stadium, OutKick's Game of the Week, the connection between sporting events on campus and the military is undeniable.

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The importance of the military every single day at Indiana University is also undeniable.

"IU definitely has an upper echelon of military history, and they do really treat their military personnel with a lot of respect," said Vasiliios Koultourides, a senior at Indiana and a member of the Indiana National Guard. "They do really care about us. "

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And Indiana University cares about its military history, not just by displaying relics outside the football stadium, but by chronicling the military service of every single person with ties to the university with a cherished, one-of-a-kind piece of history carefully and respectfully housed inside the schools Memorial Student Union on campus.

The Golden Book at Indiana has its own hallowed room there. Dating back to 1898, the book is now a fragile specimen, protected in a clear plastic box that still allows for viewing.

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The Indiana Daily Student began the initiative to document military service by IU students and staff by publishing a list of those who served in the Spanish-American War. Next was an effort to compile a list of those who had served in the Civil War.

According to Indiana Universitys website, each of the 152 pages of the book "lists the names of veterans as well as donors to IUs Memorial Fund, which sponsored the construction of three buildings on campus in honor of those men and women: Memorial Hall, Indiana Memorial Union, and Memorial Stadium.

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"Inside the book, carefully written by hand, are the names of IU alumni who served in the War of 1812, the Black Hawk War, the Mexican War, the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, the Philippine Insurrection, the Mexican Border Expedition, World War I, and World War II."

In 2016, Indiana University began a digital version of the Golden Book and now more than 25,000 names are listed.

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