Veterans Day Luncheon Honors Men and Women Who Served Their Country

More than a hundred members of the Brooklyn College community – faculty, staff, students and friends of the College – attended a pre-Veterans Day luncheon in the Student Center on November 10th. The two-hour event was sponsored by the Brooklyn College Veteran Students Organization and the Veterans Affairs & Counseling Center.

Claudette Guinn, coordinator of veteran affairs and counseling and campus-wide student affairs, opened the event with an introduction of Captain Matthew Peck, from the U.S. Army Recruiting Company, whose color guard posted the colors. The Star Spangled Banner was sung by soloist Alfred Bentick, accompanied by pianist Andy Liu.

Giving the convocation was the Reverend John Moriarty, who prayed for all men and women killed or wounded in the service of the country. He also asked those in attendance to pray that God bless both President George W. Bush and President-elect Barack Obama.

In her address, Dean Milga Morales, of the Brooklyn College Division of Student Affairs, thanked veterans "for your sacrifices and for the sacrifices made by your families." She then called Provost William Tramontano to the podium.

He welcomed attendees and told them that "you can’t thank veterans enough" for their service. Noting that though he himself was not a veteran, he said that his father, who died this past year, "was in the Army during World War II, you know, was one of that Greatest Generation."

The event’s guest speaker was Navy Captain Robert Watts. A native of Brooklyn and a 1973 graduate of the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, he wished a Happy Birthday to the United States Marine Corps – "the greatest fighting force in the history of the world" – on the occasion of its 233rd anniversary and told his audience that we "owe a great debt to the men and women who sometimes have been called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice."

And, he pointed out, the nation now has a total of 24 million veterans of its armed forces.

Guinn returned to the podium to announce awards were being given to Assistant Vice President Alan Gilbert, Professor Phil Napoli, and Diane Oquendo of the purchasing department for their efforts on behalf of veterans.

Wilfred Cotto, a 28-year veteran of the U.S. Navy and CUNY’s coordinator of veterans’ affairs and chair of the university’s veterans liaison committee, told the audience that he found serving in the armed forces was easy. In contrast however, he said, "transitioning back to civilian life can be very difficult." He asked the educators in attendance "to give them the guidance they needed."

Finally, after the reading of a Veterans Day salute by David Faed, who recited the poem "The Soldier," and closing remarks by Jay Fong, president of the CUNY veteran students organization, Guinn reported that her office had more than 150 veterans registered this year.

She added that in past years the luncheon had sometimes honored CUNY students who had given their lives or been wounded in the nation’s ongoing conflicts, but that this year the university community had suffered no casualties.

"Thanks to all veterans for all that they have done," she said.