Emily Kelley / Roundup
In honor of Veteran’s Day next Wednesday, the Pierce College Student Veteran’s Organization (SVO) will be raising flags representing the five branches of the military for the rest of the month.
The color guard members raised the Coast Guard flag on Monday morning, and will take it down on Thursday to replace it with the Army’s flag.
The SVO was made an official club on July 15, 2010 and is the very first student veteran’s organization on campus.
“We have strong roots here,” said Juan Pablo Sirri, SVO president.
Pierce was originally founded in 1947 as an agriculture school for veterans returning from WWII under the name Clarence W. Pierce School of Agriculture.
In addition to hoisting the flags, the club will also host a BBQ on Nov. 10 in the Great Hall from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Housed in the Financial Aid, Scholarships and Veterans office, the SVO provide support to the 738 veterans currently on campus.
“Coming from the military, you become used to a sense of structure,” said Sirri, a Marine Corporal who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom. “So we try to keep that structure as they transition into civilian life.”
The SVO and the Veteran’s department help veterans utilize the benefits they are entitled to—including five years of free healthcare and their monthly GI Bill payment— as well as directing them towards counseling and support groups if needed.
The SVO’s next meeting will be in the EOP&S Conference room on Monday.
Flag Raising:
Nov 1 – Nov 4 = Coast Guard
Nov 5 – Nov 9 = Army
Nov 10 – Nov 14 = Air Force
Nov 15 – Nov 18 = Marine Corps
Nov 19 – Nov 23 = Navy
Nov 24 – Nov 30 = POW-MIA
