The Veterans Resource Center had a special ceremony to honor those who have served in the military.
The event was held on Nov. 9 in the amphitheater.
Veteran, music production major and one of the speakers at the ceremony Joe Levy, explained why Veterans Day is an important event.
“We’re allowing all veterans to understand who they are because as a veteran some can’t find a job, some can’t deploy; a lot of people don’t know what to do as a veteran and to acknowledge the people who are in the shadows of being a veteran,” Levy said.
He also wanted to clarify the differences between Memorial Day and Veterans Day.
Memorial Day is for the ones who have died — Veterans day is the day for the ones who joined overall and fought for this country.
He served for eight years in special operations recruiting and in Marine expeditionary unit.
Levy wanted students that never dealt with veterans to know that “We’re human, we go through the problems like everyone else- it’s just that the government and society put our problems in a higher pedestal because we fought for our country so they label it PTSD but we’re all human beings.”
Veterans Day celebrations events were held all week and the culminating event was the special ceremony.
Another speaker at the event was Veteran and Psychology Major at CSULA Brandon Cholvers.
He was impressed with the student turnout, saying, “It was a great turnout- it was bigger than last year. It is great to see students, staff and faculty.”
He added that Veterans Day is about all veterans, and not just combat veterans or the ones that died in war.
“It’s about honoring remembering all veterans whether they went to combat or not,” Cholvers said.
Cholvers served in the Marine Corp for five years and also served in Afghanistan as a helicopter crew chief for a year.
The event was coordinated by Veteran Resource Specialists Felipe Salazar and Glen Peña and Veteran Brandon Cholvers.
Cerritos College President Jose Fierro attended the ceremony and shared his thoughts on the event.
“This is a time to be thankful for what has been done for us-it is an opportunity for us to do a little bit for them,” Fierro said.
He wants veteran students to know that he is here to help and support them in their personal and career goals.
