U.S. Army veteran Earl “The Pearl” Watson will headline Fresno State’s on-campus Veterans Day observance Thursday, Nov. 10, before a university delegation joins the community salute Friday, Nov. 11, downtown for the internationally televised Fresno Veterans Parade. The campus is closed Nov. 11 for the holiday.

The free, public observance on campus begins at noon Nov. 10 at the Memorial Court south of the Kennel Bookstore, paying tribute to the university’s 350 student military veterans, reservists and active-duty personnel and faculty and staff who are veterans.

It is organized by the Student Veterans Organization, formed two years ago through the Veterans Affairs Office in the Division of Student Affairs, and by a new student veterans club, Omega Delta Sigma, which began in the spring.

Bernie Vinovrski, associate vice president for enrollment and a Marine Corps veteran, will emcee the campus observance. He said the ceremony and parade are Fresno State’s way of continuing its rich tradition of honoring men and women who have served the nation through the military.

“It is exciting to observe and support our veterans as they pursue their academic degree objectives with the same passion as when they protected our country while on active duty,” Vinovrski said

Watson, now 86, was an Army supply sergeant assigned to a black regiment supporting Gen. George Patton’s 3rd Army in World War II, who saw action in the D-Day invasion, the Battle of the Bulge and the Battle of the Rhine.

Upon returning home, he became the “Doorman to the Stars” at the Hollywood Knickerbocker Hotel where he was a friend and confidant to entertainers and athletes for three decades. In 2008, he was presented with numerous medals for his military service.

Joining Watson as speakers are Air Force veteran William E Dietzel, editor of Fresno Veterans Magazine and organizer of the downtown Veterans Parade; Fresno City Councilmember Larry Westerlund, a Navy veteran; and an Associated Students Inc. (ASI) representative.

ASI and the University Student Union will announce plans to refurbish the Memorial Court Fountain with funds provided by the Class of 2011’s gift to the university. Designs are being finalized and work is expected to begin in spring. The fountain was dedicated on Pearl Harbor Day (Dec. 7) 1962, seven years after the Memorial Court was established as a tribute to Fresno State veterans of all wars.

Memorial Court stretches from the fountain east along the tree-lined walkway and the Thomas Building to the Rose Garden, ending at the university’s flag poles. The court contains many donated trees and plaques honoring military service and sacrifice.

Alumna and Miss Fresno County Valerie Saucedo will sing the national anthem at the campus event, and the Fresno State Choir will perform as will Ken Bain of the 42nd Highlander Bagpipes. Five veterans from the Community Living Center at the Fresno Veterans Administration Medical Center will be special guests.

On Nov. 11 at the parade, the Fresno State Bulldog Marching Band again will follow the color guard, performing “The Army Comes Rolling Along” to complement this year’s Army theme.

The band will be joined by Fresno State’s Air Force and Army ROTC units, two student veterans clubs, Bulldog Athletics mascot Timeout, cheerleaders from the Bulldog Spirit Squad and representatives of the Veterans Services Office.

The event, billed as the nation’s largest community Veterans Day parade, was established in 1919, one year after World War I ended. The 93rd annual parade begins at 11 a.m. in front of City Hall at P and Tulare streets and ends at Chukchansi Park at Tulare and Broadway. It is broadcast worldwide on the Pentagon Channel.

A Fresno State Army ROTC delegation will visit the Sommerford Place assisted living facility in Fresno (6075 N. Marks Ave.) from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Nov. 11.

That evening at 7 o’clock, veterans and active-duty military will be admitted free to the Fresno State men’s basketball game against Illinois State at Save Mart Center. A Korean War veteran will sing the national anthem.

Fresno State’s connections with military service extend throughout the campus:

  • For more than 60 years, Fresno State has hosted an Air Force ROTC detachment; and for nearly 30 years an Army ROTC unit. Both are award-winning units housed in the Craig School of Business. Both have commissioned hundreds of line and nurse officers for the military’s active, National Guard and reserve components.
  • The Submarine Memorial in the Maple Mall south of the Satellite Student Union, dedicated in 2002 with a granite marker and 54 tulip trees, honors all 60 U.S.  submarines and 3,797 sailors lost since World War II began.
  • The Central California War Veterans Oral History Project, through Fresno State’s Department of Mass Communication and Journalism, is preserving stories of San Joaquin Valley military veterans in the Henry Madden Library. About 230 stories will have been archived by the end of the semester.
  • The campus was recognized last year as a Military Friendly School by G.I. Jobs magazine for its dedication to the veterans community and the university’s efforts to ease veterans’ transition to a civilian life.

For more information about Veterans Services and the two observances, contact Robyn Gutierrez, veterans benefits coordinator, at 559.278.7030 or rgutierrez@csufresno.edu.

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