St. John’s to Recognize Veterans with Campus Ceremony

From academic and tuition support, to help with the transition to civilian life, St. John’s University is committed to the well-being of its veteran population. Currently home to 150 student veterans and scores of veteran alumni, the University honors their service by providing an environment for veterans to explore learning opportunities and become actively involved in campus life.    

“There is a genuine sense of warmth and welcome for veterans at St. John’s,” said Gabriel Vazquez ’18CPS, who served six years as a US Marine Corps intelligence analyst, rising to the rank of sergeant. “People are always willing to assist you when you are not sure of how you will pay for something or how to get things done.”

“The experience of even applying for our benefits can be overwhelming,” Sgt. Vazquez continued. “Although I felt some anxiety leaving the Marine Corps, I knew I had people at St. John’s who considered me part of the family.”

Sgt. Vazquez attended St. John’s from 2006 to 2010 before leaving for the Marines, where he was deployed throughout the Middle East and in Africa. Upon returning to St. John’s in 2017, he changed his major from Journalism to Homeland Security; he now works as an intelligence analyst for the defense contractor Booz Allen Hamilton outside of Washington, DC. 

Sgt. Vazquez remains close to many veterans he met at St. John’s. On Veterans Day, November 11, he will lay wreaths on the gravesites of fallen soldiers in Arlington National Cemetery. He will remove the wreaths several weeks later and clean up the graves.    

“The veterans community at St. John’s is unique,” Sgt. Vazquez said. “We all are mission oriented. We all raised our right hand to serve, but our service did not end when our military careers finished. That is the heartbeat of the veteran community there: We continue to serve each other, even after serving the time on our contracts.”

The University will recognize Sgt. Vazquez and his fellow veterans at its annual Veterans Day Luncheon on November 7. Members of all branches of military service will be recognized and singer-songwriter Theresa Sareo will return for a musical tribute. The event is free and open to all veterans, not just those with ties to the University.  

Last year’s Veterans Day Luncheon drew more than 100 veterans, including Vietnam War Purple Heart recipient John Devine ’75SVC, from Massapequa, NY, who served in a Marine Corps reconnaissance battalion as a Private First Class. 

Pfc. Devine lost his right leg to a mortar shell in Vietnam in 1968. Sent home, he endured 13 months of physical rehabilitation and significant emotional scarring.

Eventually, he earned a degree in Communication Arts from St. John’s, married, and raised two daughters. He later took up bowling, golf, and even became a ski instructor. In 2006, he received the Unsung Hero Award, given annually by the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial Foundation to a veteran who might be broken in body, but whose spirit never wilted.   

“St. John’s has always made a commitment to veterans—and that’s nice because, at many colleges, veterans aren’t as accepted or respected,” Pfc. Devine said. “St. John’s is not afraid to recognize us.” 

According to Karen Moritz Simons, Director, Office of Parent and Family Relations and the University’s Veterans Success Center, emotional counseling is merely one supportive benefit the University offers to veterans. Ms. Simons said St. John’s also offers networking and community-service opportunities to those transitioning from the military, including mentoring, tutoring, housing assistance, and career services. The University provides potential academic credit for military experience and scholarship and financial aid opportunities, and participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program, which provides financial assistance to veterans for tuition and fees not covered by the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

University Career Services also dedicates a veterans adviser to identify potential jobs and internships and to work with organizations that need skills cultivated by veterans while in service. 

The University has been consistently rated as a Military Friendly® School by VIQTORY, a Pennsylvania-based company that connects newly separated veterans with professional and educational opportunities. 

In September, the Veterans Success Center hosted the first of several planned veteran benefits seminars. More than 20 student veterans attended, including Michael Hall, a former senior airman in the US Air Force who is now in his senior year at St. John’s.

Michael said the University has always supported the unique needs of veterans. “St. John’s is always helpful,” he said. “Many students who go to college may have gone to high school with friends who know each other well. That is often not the case when you go to college after years in the military. You are older, and it can be harder to connect with people.” 

For more information on the November 7 Veterans Day Luncheon, contact Paul Lazauskas, Associate Director, Alumni Relations, at 718-990-1941 or email [email protected].