Vanguard University honors veterans at new center
Vanguard University’s Veterans Courtyard of Honor and its new Veterans Resource Center welcomed around 75 guests for the sixth annual Veterans Day Celebration Thursday.
The Costa Mesa school held its celebration last week to recognize Veterans Day at a time the honorees would not be busy attending other events.
“It’s a way for us to show that those who serve are never forgotten and that we will continue to honor them,” the resource center’s Veterans Coordinator Brian Burlingame said. “If it wasn’t for their service, we wouldn’t have the freedom that we currently have.”
The school itself has a long history with the military, having been built on the land where the former Santa Ana Air Base stood. The university has also trained chaplains who have served in World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Afghanistan and Iraq.
Both the courtyard and the resource facility are located in Vanguard’s Scott Academic Center, which recently underwent construction adding 16,135 square feet.
The remodeling of the building allowed for the Veterans Resource Center to be relocated closer to the Career Center and to double in size.
This year’s theme for Vanguard’s Veterans Day Celebration was “Honor the Legacy. Invest in the Future.”
“We’re serious about investing in the next wave of veterans who are coming back,” Burlingame said. “We want to honor them and make sure they have the services needed to transition from military to civilian life.”
The resource center offers a place for Vanguard students who are also veterans to seek career counseling and tutorial services.
The celebration opened with a ceremony honoring 10 World War II veterans. These veterans, who are acquaintances of Burlingame’s, are members of the Freedom Committee of Orange County.
Charles Monroe, a distinguished World War II Purple Heart veteran, was the ceremony’s keynote speaker. He has also served as a pastor, educator and as dean of students for Vanguard.
A reception was held outside the Veterans Resource Center and guests could tour the new center, which includes a conference room, a lounge, a 65-inch television, a kitchen for commuting students to keep their meals in and a library.
