The Patriotic Education Travel Program was founded to reinforce the Patriotic goal of the College. In June 2009, the inaugural trip gave 20 College of the Ozarks students and ten World War II veterans the opportunity to travel to the battlefields of Normandy for the 65th anniversary of D-Day. Since then, more than 100 students and 51 World War II veterans have returned together to the battlefields of Europe and the Pacific. The trees planted in this field honor each veteran who shared life stories with students on these trips. The idea originated with a student participant and was taken on as a project by the College Historians. The ongoing program seeks to ensure that their stories and sacrifices will not be forgotten.