Fresno State will pay tribute to veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces with several activities over the next week, including the Salute to the Services commemoration at the Bulldogs football game Nov. 4, a campus service Nov. 9 and an exhibition highlighting African-American military veterans.

The campus is closed Friday, Nov. 10, in observance of the Veteran’s Day national holiday on Nov. 11, which falls on Saturday this year when the annual Fresno Veterans Day Parade will be held downtown.

The Fresno State Bulldog Marching Band will again lead the parade, one of the biggest in the U.S. that honors the United States Army this year. The University’s Army and Air Force ROTC units will also participate by marching.

The campus observance kicked off with a new exhibition highlighting the voices and contributions of African-American military veterans, “Unsung Heroes: Do You Know Who I Am?,” that runs Nov. 1 through 18 at the M Street Graduate Studios in downtown Fresno with a reception Nov. 10.

The week continues Saturday, Nov. 4, with the 3rd annual Veterans 5K Run from 7 to 10 a.m., at the North Gym, followed by the Veterans Football Tailgate coordinated by Fresno State Athletics at 5 p.m. in the Red Lot, spot 58, at Bulldog Stadium (east side).

The Salute to Services Veterans Tribute football game v. BYU will follow at 7:45 p.m. at Bulldog Stadium.

Next week, campus events coordinated through the Fresno State Veterans Council include the Bowling and Billiards for Veterans from 1 to 5 p.m., Monday, Nov. 6, at the Bulldog Bowl 1. A Veterans Appreciation Lunch will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 7, in the University Dining Hall. Guest Speaker for the lunch will be United States Marine Corps Sgt. Jarrett Kraft, a recipient of the Navy Cross.

The Veterans Memorial and Veterans Day Service is at 10 a.m., Thursday, Nov. 9, at the monument near the Thomas Building flagpoles on campus. The Army ROTC will present the colors.

The Armed Forces Walk of Honor follows the service beginning at the Rose Garden west of the Veterans Monument. Veterans, active military service personnel, students and employees — as well as representatives of area legislators — will carry flags to the Henry Madden Library.

At the library, President Joseph I. Castro will officially open the month-long Veterans Exhibit. Items within the exhibit are from Fresno State’s Veteran students, faculty, and staff.

The Fresno Veterans Day Parade begins at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 11, in Downtown Fresno.

In addition to the band, Fresno State will be represented by the University’s two veterans’ organizations riding a float together and the ROTC units.

The “Unsung Heroes” exhibition is hosted by The Unsung Heroes Living History Project, founded by Lisa Daniels.

A reception will be held from 2 to 4 p.m., Friday, Nov. 10, in commemoration of Veterans Day with Tuskegee Airmen from the Sacramento Chapter as the special guests.

“Unsung Heroes” is co-sponsored by the Black Faculty and Staff AssociationPresident’s Commission on Human Relations and EquityTRIO Student Support Services VeteransDepartment of Art and DesignM Street Graduate StudiosCross Cultural and Gender Center and Center for Creativity and the Arts.

The Fresno State Veteran’s Council was established in 2009 to assist veterans with various resources and help them access higher education and achieve in college. The council is made up of representatives from two campus organizations, the Student Veterans Organization and Omega Delta Sigma, as well as Fresno State’s Academic Affairs and Student Affairs programs, which provide on- and off-campus resources to over 950 military affiliated students enrolled at the University.

Fresno State also supports veterans with the CSU Troops to College initiative and three programs, including the Veterans Services in the Admissions Office and the Student Support Services Veterans Program, both housed in Student Affairs, and the Veterans Education Program in Continuing and Global Education.

The online Veterans Virtual Resource Center assists active military, reservists, veterans, and family members in successfully navigating the University through campus and community.

For more information, contact the Veterans Services Office at 559.278.4083.

University Communications news intern Yesenia Candelaria contributed to this report.

Related link:

‘Unsung Heroes’ exhibition honors African-American veterans