Pause to Honor our Veterans on November 10

Event

Chancellor Block invites all Bruins to honor the sacrifice and service of military veterans during a special ceremony on Wilson Plaza.

As our nation enters its 14th straight year of military conflict in Afghanistan, and with continued operations in other parts of the world, I ask that all Bruins take a moment in the days ahead to honor those who have served in the U.S. armed forces. I also invite you to join me at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, November 10, in Wilson Plaza for UCLA’s Veterans Day ceremony. No RSVP is necessary.

We often speak about the experience and leadership that veterans bring to our campus and to the broader work force, and I am delighted that one of our speakers at the ceremony will be Kelly Schmader, our assistant vice chancellor for facilities management. In his 28 years in the U.S. Navy, Schmader managed facilities and led large-scale construction and community relief projects all over the world, including in Afghanistan. We will also hear from Tigon Abalos, a UCLA Dentistry student who was an Army counterintelligence specialist.

Our veterans often sacrifice their physical and mental well-being to preserve our quality of life. As an institution, UCLA works to serve those who serve, with research and programs dedicated to improving the lives of our veterans. For example, Operation Mend provides world-class reconstructive surgery for disfigured servicemen and servicewomen, and our Nathanson Family Resilience Center trains mental health professionals on how to help military families deal with the burden of multiple deployments. Our UCLA Veterans website has more information about these and many other programs supporting veterans.

I hope you can be a part of this important ceremony on Monday, when we thank those who have given so much.