The Veterans Resource Center at San José State held a Veterans Day Celebration to honor those who served in the military on Wednesday afternoon.
Veterans Day is a holiday honoring American veterans of all wars, according to Govinfo.
SJSU celebrated Veterans Day on Wednesday, ahead of any weekend celebrations, to give the campus community an opportunity to get to know who serves in the service.
The celebration started with the singing of the national anthem to show recognition and appreciation.
On Seventh Street, there was an information table, a toy drive and a game of cornhole for anyone to play.
Veterans came together both inside and outside San José’s community to share their experiences from their days in the military with the campus community.
Kimberly Thornburg, program coordinator for the Veterans Resource Center, said SJSU has been celebrating Veterans Day for more than 10 years.
“It's been nice to have the center be able to recognize this and have a moment festival to students that are recognized and also participate with other students on campus,” Thornburg said.
Thornburg said she often sees a majority of events like these on social media, not in person.
“I'm going to Santa Clara (University),” Thornburg said. “I don't really see a lot of this and there's not even this much of a presence even for veterans.”
Maggie Morales, a director for the Veterans Resource Center, invited students to pack some toys in a small box which the Veterans Resource Center has provided.
Morales said she not only wants to learn about the veterans service, but an opportunity to learn about the background of their personal journeys.
“It doesn't always mean people have served in combat — but serving in the military — they've had a life before coming here to be a student or to be a staff or faculty,” Morales said.
Jackson Le, one of the guest speakers, a student veteran and a representative for the Veterans Resource Center, said it’s important for veterans to be together and show their presence on campus.
“We're ambitious and we're driving for the best that we can meet in general, whether in uniform or as a student,” Le said.
Guillermo Luna, a veteran student liaison for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, said he is a proud Marine Corps veteran and that he is happy he got the opportunity to experience hard work in the military service.
Luna said he served for four years as a Marine Corps veteran before coming to SJSU.
“When I was in the Marine Corps, I was able to get all the fundamentals and the tools to do so. Came out here on the cusp of graduation as a computer engineer next semester, so really excited,” Luna said.
Luna said when he was living in East Los Angeles, he wanted something different and challenging.
“I wanted something bigger and bigger, (a) better calling,” Luna said. “I wanted something that was something (inside) of me that was always attracted me to the harder path.”
Luna, who is also a computer science senior, was elected by his fellow veteran comrades as the president of the Veterans Resource Center.
Sgt. Chris Zonsius said he is proud to be a veteran and glad to have the opportunity to serve alongside others in uniform.
“I've had the opportunity and pleasure of serving with men and women that made the decision to put patriotism in their country called all else for a portion of their life,” Zonsius said.
