Honoring Our Veterans, on Campus and Beyond
A message to the Saint Mary's Community
This Wednesday, November 11, we will observe Veterans Day. As we begin a week of activities honoring veterans on our campus, I would like to reflect on the meaning and history of this occasion.
Veterans Day, as some of you may know, was not always called that. When it was first observed in 1919—proclaimed as such by President Woodrow Wilson—it was “Armistice Day,” marking the end of fighting in the First World War, which came at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918.
It was not until 1954 that Congress changed the name, widening the day from one war to all servicemen and servicewomen who have worn the uniform of the armed forces.
We are not alone in marking this date. In France and Belgium, November 11 is still Armistice Day. In Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand, it is Remembrance Day. The names differ, and so do some of the traditions, but the shared date points to a common thread. Nations that fought on the same side, and sometimes on opposite sides, stop on the same day to honor those who served.
I find something fitting in that. A day that began by remembering a single moment has grown into a day that remembers every veteran, in every era, whether or not their service made the history books.
Some of those veterans are here on our campus. They sit in our classrooms, teach our courses, administer our programs, and cheer from the stands. One sits a stone’s throw from my own office, here in the President’s suite.
These individuals, I have observed over the years, carry habits they learned in uniform: showing up prepared, finishing what they start, and looking out for the person next to them. Our campus is stronger for it. We are grateful, too, to the families whose support helped make their service possible.
I would also like to thank our Veteran Resource Center and Cris Sotelo, himself a veteran, for leading our Veterans Day programming and supporting our student veterans throughout the year. We are proud that U.S. News & World Report ranks Saint Mary’s No. 10 among the Best Colleges for Veterans in the West.
Please join us for the following activities honoring our veterans, beginning tomorrow and continuing through next week:
- Student Veterans of America (SVA) and S.A.L.U.T.E. Presentation – Tuesday, November 10, 3–4 p.m. (Veterans Resource Center in Filippi Academic Hall, FAH-125)
- Cupcake Reception – Tuesday, November 10, 4–6 p.m. (The 1928 Pub)
- Veterans & Military Appreciation Night at Women’s Basketball – Tuesday, November 10, at the home opener against Chico State (UCU Pavilion)
- Flag-Raising Ceremony – Wednesday, November 11, 9:30 a.m. (Flagpole outside the Filippi Administrative Building)
- Campus BBQ – Wednesday, November 11, 11 a.m. (Chapel Lawn)
- Crafternoon Service Project – Thursday, November 12, 12–2 p.m. Honor our veterans by making appreciation cards thanking them for their service. (Hagerty Lounge)
- Veterans Appreciation Night at Men’s Basketball – Friday, November 13, 6 p.m. (UCU Pavilion)
- Veterans Appreciation: Men’s Rugby vs. SJSU – Saturday, November 21, 1 p.m. (Pat Vincent Field)
If you are a veteran, thank you for your service. If you are the spouse, child, parent, or friend of one, thank you for what you have given as well. Veterans Day is a good day to say so out loud—and to make time to listen to those who wish to share their stories.
With gratitude,
Roger J. Thompson, EdD
President
