At Moorpark College, Veterans Day is extended into a week-long celebration of events to honor the great men and women who protect this country.
During the week of Veteran’s Day, starting Monday, Nov. 7, students and faculty were able to visit the Veterans Resource Center (VRC) and write the name of a veteran on a small size flag to be displayed in front of the building to honor them.
The week long commemoration was capped off on Thursday, Nov. 10 with a ceremony in front of the flagpole outside Fountain Hall. The service concluded with a well-delivered speech from Moorpark College’s President Luis Sanchez following a march that included many of Moorpark Colleges’ veterans.
Leading the march was U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Rosario, who is a ten-year veteran and now holds the title of assistant center commander at the Simi Valley recruiting center. Rosario comes from a veteran home where his father was enlisted in the U.S. Army for 22 years.
“It’s a day to remember all of those who have served, regardless of the what branch you were in,” said Rosario. “I appreciate every single person that comes up to me to say ‘Thank you for your service,’ I think sometimes it takes a guts to even do that.”
The newly opened VRC is the main resource for veterans attending Moorpark College, helping men and women of the armed forces, service members, and their dependents, offering help with scheduling classes, priority registration, access to special needs help for the transition into civilian and student life, and even small homely luxuries like complementary coffee and tea.
Along with the march to honor the current and fallen solders of America, the VRC at Moorpark College has been a big supporter in creating awareness for Platoon22, a traveling memorial representing the nationwide epidemic of veteran suicide plaguing our country. On average, 22 veterans commit suicide every day while attempting to re-acclimate to civilian lifestyle and each pair of boots in this display represents one of those lives.
President Sanchez spoke to the grave implications this statistic, expressing his pride in Moorpark College’s efforts to fight against it.
“It’s unspeakably tragic that 22 veterans commit suicide each day, that statistic is easy to say, the heart break behind it is not,” said Sanchez. “I’m grateful for the VCR to be able to provide a place for veterans to relate to other veterans because that turns out to be an important part to the re-acclimation process.”
