Guest Opinion | Dr. Edward C. Ortell: Remembering Veterans, Past and Present

As we enter into this season of celebration and thanksgiving, the turmoil and struggles of 2020 may have left some of us feeling a bit isolated and less that celebratory.

The bravery and sacrifice of the millions of men and women who have served in our nation’s military, however, is something worth remembering. It is a cause around which we can unite as a nation and celebrate this Veteran’s Day.

With an estimated 18.8 million US veterans living today, it is safe to say that most of us knows a veteran. They come from all walks of life and span several generations. My father served in the United States Airforce as a navigator in WWII. A school friend, Major Richard Elzinga, paid the ultimate price as a pilot in the skies over Vietnam. And with more than 3 million veterans who supported the War on Terrorism, I have had the honor of teaching many of them at colleges and on their military bases.

According to the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, there are currently 1.8 million military veterans living in California. Many of them have enrolled in a community college for the education and skills they need to transition to productive civilian lives. Each year, approximately 89,000 veterans, active duty service members and dependents are enrolled at a California community college. And while a global pandemic has threatened to put a halt to their plans, community colleges are creating new and unique ways to continue serving student veterans.

Citrus College, serving the San Gabriel Valley, is one such college. Although the college campus was closed for the 2020 spring and fall semesters, the staff of its award-winning Veterans Success Center have continued to work remotely to provide veterans with the information and support they needed to persist in their studies and successfully complete their academic goals.

Today, the men and women who have served in our nation’s military, past and present are our friends, our neighbors and valued members of our communities. Their courage and service to others did not end when they returned home to civilian life, and they deserve our respect, thanks and remembrance on Veterans Day and beyond.

About the Author: Professor Emeritus at Pasadena City College and former Executive Director of the Pasadena Education Association, Dr. Edward C. Ortell is the senior governing board member at Citrus College. He has served on the California Community College Trustees (CCCT) state board of directors and 11 terms as president of the Citrus College Board of Trustees.