A Day to Pause and Recognize Heroes

Veterans Day

Chris Wilson, a Justice major, retired from the U.S. Army in 2009 and hadn’t had much occasion to wear his brown military fatigues until Nov. 11.

He had received an email requesting that he show military pride by wearing the battledress to the College’s Veterans Day ceremony. “I wasn’t sure they would still fit,” Wilson said. He was glad they did and glad to have attended.

During a packed ceremony outside the Veterans Resource Center in the Bonnell Lobby, Wilson and other veterans received applause, appreciative handshakes, and words of gratitude from College officials and honored guests. “It’s like a celebration. I get to see who else is a veteran. This pumps me up for Veterans Day,” Wilson said.

Across the city, ceremonies marked the day the nation shows its appreciation for those who serve and have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. The College currently serves more than 500 veterans. Moreover, in the Class of 2014, 81 of the graduates had military backgrounds.

The Veterans Resource Center serves as both a guiding light and a beacon of hope for retired and active duty military. One such student is Moustapha Toure, a Senior Airman in the U.S. Air Force. Now 21-years-old, Toure said he has been trying to finish an undergraduate degree since the age of 17 but his coursework has been interrupted repeatedly by deployments.

After he returned to Philadelphia from Afghanistan in mid-September, he chose Community College of Philadelphia because of the support services and resources. “I was looking in the area for a military-friendly college. I came here, and it’s been amazing,” Toure said. After getting advice from the Veterans Resource Center, he’s taking 18 credits and is on track to earn an associate’s degree in Liberal Arts. He is dually admitted to Temple University, where he plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree in political science.

Disruptions like those Toure encountered are a small measure of the personal sacrifices military men and women make. During the ceremony, Philadelphia Police Inspector Verdell Johnson, an alumnus; Dr. Donald Guy Generals, the College’s president; Steve Bachovin, coordinator for the Veterans Resource; and Jason Mays, president of the Student Government Association, spoke of other burdens that military men and women or they themselves have carried for the sake of their country.

Philadelphia District Attorney R. Seth Williams, a Major in the Judge Advocate General Corps of the United States Army Reserve, was also a guest speaker. He praised veterans as heroes for their commitment to duty, honor and country. Then he asked civilians in the audience also to make a commitment to serve. “You don’t have to go out on the battlefield. There’s a battle going on right here,” Williams said.

People can serve their communities by helping their neighbors and encouraging high school students to stay in school and graduate, the DA said. Moreover, fighting truancy helps reduce crime because students who drop-out are more likely to go to prison or become the victims of homicide, he added. “I would ask all of you today to commit yourselves to duty, honor and country. Commit to serving one another,” he said.

Attracted by the nexus of military and college experience in the room, officers from the Philadelphia Police Department manned a recruiting table before and after the ceremony. The department is looking for candidates to replace officers they are losing through retirements. Employment eligibility requirements include either 60 credits of college or a minimum of six months of active duty military experience with an honorable discharge.

“Anytime we have attrition from police officers retiring, we try to replace those ranks,” said Edward Savage the Philadelphia Police recruitment officer who manned the table. “We’re looking to fill those jobs.”