Students crowded around 7th Street Plaza Tuesday to observe SJSU clubs and local organizations in coordination with San José State’s annual Veterans Day Celebration.
This year is the 70th anniversary of Veterans Day, which was made a federal holiday in 1954 on Nov. 11, according to the US Department of Veteran Affairs.
The event featured various tables representing military-related organizations and SJSU clubs.
The event was held in conjunction with SJSU’s Spartan Automotive Enthusiasts Club, according to a Nov. 2 SJSU Veterans Resource Center Instagram post.
Radman Shahbazkhan, a second-year data science student and head media coordinator of the Spartan Automotive Enthusiasts Club, said the collaboration between the celebration of Veterans Day and his club gave a platform for veterans to show their cars.
“The (Veterans Resource Center) reached out to us … and they wanted us to come and collaborate with them (and bring) veterans, people who have veteran family or relatives (who are) veterans, and bring their cars out to tell a story,” Shahbazkhan said. “Bringing their car out there and representing themselves is a sign of community.”
The SJSU Veterans Resource Center was created to support veteran students for education benefits, campus resources for veterans, certification and shifting from the military to college and later a career, according to an SJSU website.
Shahbazkhan said roughly half of the cars belonged to veterans, and the rest of the cars were from members of the club.
Alejandro Rivas, Officer Selection Officer for the Marines in the South Bay area, said it’s important to recognize Veterans Day.
“It’s essential to recognize all the work and all the effort that previous veterans have put in towards this country,” Rivas said. “When you think about the military, a lot of people don’t realize that a lot of what we do is peacekeeping operations, community engagements (and) overall worldwide protection and humanitarian assistance.”
SJSU has been ranked third of best colleges for veterans on the West Coast of the U.S., according to a US News ranking.
Another organization at the Annual Veterans Day Celebration was Operation Freedom Paws.
It is a non-profit organization that serves disabled veterans, first responders and children by building the clients’ relationship with therapy dogs at no cost, according to the Operation Freedom Paws website.
Mary Cortani, founder and executive director of Operation Freedom Paws, talked about how the foundation originated.
“I opened up a dog training business when I got a call from a marine, and if you’ve ever spoken to someone who’s suicidal, you can even hear it on the phone,” Cortani said. “He had been on the National Model service dogs list for several years and he was losing hope, and he was looking for a dog trainer to just help him find a dog and train it. And we talked, and that was the inspiration.”
Cortani said Operation Freedom Paws has served over 500 people in need, approximately 70% of which have been veterans.
Malia Creech, a fourth-year electrical engineering student and Work-Study at the Veterans Resource Center, said that the Veterans Resource Center organized the event.
“Kimberly Thornberg … set this entire thing up,” Creech said. “By reserving this entire area, she combined the best of San José State with our veterans, and also (that they) need to vote as well to bring that awareness to all these things happening in the next couple weeks.”
Creech, who is a veteran, said that the Veterans Resource Center has been immensely helpful in learning about what kinds of benefits veterans get at SJSU.
“I wasn’t too knowledgeable about my benefits,” Creech said. “But just being there … I came to learn all the tips and tricks, and then to also be able to give that back to our other student veterans (and) military connected students.”
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