Veterans Day 2024

Veterans Day

Background image: The Cal Veteran Services Center's annual Hail and Farewell event, which highlights graduating and newly admitted student veterans, also celebrated the center's 20th anniversary. On May 4th at the Bancroft Hotel venue (from left) Brian Vargas, Jeff Stock,

Each Veterans Day, we take time to honor the individuals who have served and the contributions they bring to the UC Berkeley community.

While Memorial Day honors military personnel who have given their lives for this country and Armed Forces Day celebrates those on active duty; Veterans Day is unique in that it allows us to thank and honor the public service of our veteran and military-connected community. November is also when military families are honored for their service. The theme of Veterans Day this year is "A Legacy of Loyalty and Service.” Our Cal Veteran Service Center Alumni demonstrate their loyalty and service through volunteering their time and efforts with current students through mentorship, networking and more.

Service and scholarship

We have 801 students Veterans Administration Education Benefits certified* and 132 staff and 32 faculty self-identified veterans at UC Berkeley and many more military-connected family members who support active duty and veteran service members. In leadership positions on campus, David C. Wilson, dean of the Goldman School of Public Policy, is a military veteran with 19 years of service in the US Army Reserves, including combat tours for Operations Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom. Jim Knowlton, director of Cal Athletics, served for 26 years on active duty in the US Army.

Berkeley's Goldman School of Public Policy had been selected as one of 12 campuses nationwide for a new Service to Service initiative to increase awareness of public service career opportunities among the military community, enroll military-connected students in master’s programs at schools of public service, and connect initiative participants to state and local government roles following degree attainment.

Student, Staff, and Faculty Resources

2024-2025 Undergraduate Admits

2024-2025 Undergraduate Admits pie graph of the following details: 1 Active Duty 7  National Guard 17 Reserves 8 ROTC 38 Veterans 204 Dependents

• 1 Active Duty

• 7  National Guard

• 17 Reserves

• 8 ROTC

• 38 Veterans

• 204 Dependents

Berkeley Life Blog

Articles/Profiles

Keith Armstrong headshot

Alum Keith Armstrong

Earned his Masters in Social Work and later worked as a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UCSF and directed the San Francisco Veterans Administration's Family Therapy Program, as well as founded and Directed the SFVA’s Student Veteran Outreach Program which provides services for Student Veterans in the Bay Area. He is a co-author of the Courage After Fire books, which acknowledge the challenges faced by war veterans and support their transition home. He currently maintains a coaching and consulting practice in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Michael Blecker headshot

Michael Blecker

Has a national reputation for his dedication to veterans’ services and rights. A U.S. Army combat medic in Vietnam (1967-1970), he used the GI Bill to earn a bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley. He joined Swords to Plowshares in 1976, a local nonprofit supporting at-risk veterans find housing, employment, and stability. Blecker became Executive Director in 1982 and led the organization’s growth from a $75,000 budget to over $30 million. In 2024, he retired and now serves in an advisory role focusing on advocacy to end veteran homelessness nationwide.

Christopher Campos headshot

Chris Campos

Received his PhD in Economics from UC Berkeley 2021 and served in the United States Marine Corps and served tours in Iraq and Southeast Asia. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a Faculty Research Fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER).

Mallory Newman headshot

Mallory Newman

Is the Director of Strategic Initiatives and DEIBJ, and an alumna, at the Graduate School of Journalism. She served as an enlisted Military Police Officer and Civil Affairs Officer in the Marine Corps Reserve from 2007-2014 and deployed to Afghanistan in 2011. Before returning to UC Berkeley, she was an investigative reporter for an international feature-length documentary on food security, national security and land grabs titledThe Grab which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2022 and is available on most streaming platforms. 

screenshot of the trailer of the feature film Forty One

Forty One

Watch a trailer of the feature film Forty One(currently in post-production, anticipated release 2026) from Berkeley alumni Lisa Hornak (’19), Rafael Roy (’18) and Mallory Newman (’19) as well as Kelin Verrette and Anna Kayes. It tells the story of fifty-nine women fighting their way through bootcamp, shattering societal expectations as they transform from teenage civilians into the first female Marines trained on the west coast.

Katie M. Suwalkowski headshot

Forging a New Path

Veteran Katie Suwalkowski on Resilience, Community, and Mental Health

Events

  • November 11, 2024 at 11:11 am: Consider participating in a two-minute moment of silence to honor the sacrifice of veterans that will occur simultaneously across the nation on Veterans Day 
  • November 12, 2024 from 5-7 pm: Veteran and Military-Connected Mixer at Alumni House
  • November 16, 2024: The Cal vs Syracuse Football game is the Military Appreciation Game.  Cal Football is grateful for those who have served and continue to serve our country. In honor of Veterans Day, join us in honoring former and active military personnel and their families. During halftime, there will be an on-field swearing in ceremony of current ROTC cadets. Tailgate at Wurster Hall Platform Art Space three hours before game time. RSVP and request tickets. Discounted tickets are for military-connected community members.
  • November 23, 2024: Discounted tickets for veteran and military-connected community members for the Cal VS Stanford Big Game,  $3 of each ticket sold goes to the Cal Veteran Services Center

Academics

A group of students dressed in regalia in front of Memorial Stadium

Ethnic Studies 198: Independent Students in Higher Education - Veterans. A one credit hour P/NP class for student veterans that supports their transition to UC Berkeley by providing them with resources, helps them learn how to strategically utilize VA Education benefits, and how to navigate a new campus and culture.

CVSC at UC Berkeley

100th anniversary of California Memorial Stadium

Memorial Stadium

California Memorial Stadium, the home of Cal Football, has celebrated veterans for over 100 years. The stadium was first dedicated in 1923 to Californians who gave their lives in the First World War. When California Memorial Stadium reopened in 2012, it was rededicated to all Californians who have sacrificed their lives in service to the nation. We continue to honor the military and military-connected community at the Cal football game closest to the Veterans Day holiday.

*Using the most up to date numbers from Spring 2024 semester. Includes eligible veterans, reservists, and dependents.


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