CENTER VALLEY, Pa. — A Veterans Day celebration was held at Penn State Lehigh Valley (PSU-LV) on Nov. 11. More than 50 students, faculty, staff and veterans from the community came to the event, which was hosted by the Penn State Lehigh Valley Student Veteran Organization. The PSU-LV Student Veteran Organization recently became an official chapter of the Student Veterans of America.
Jeff McConnell, a PSU-LV student and Army veteran, served as emcee of the event. McConnell, who also serves as president of the PSU-LV Student Veteran Organization, led the national anthem and a moment of silence.
McConnell and three other student veterans spoke about their experiences in the military and how it shaped the people they are today.
Chris Fill, a first-year student majoring in psychology, shared his six-year experience in the U.S. Marine Corps.
“When you get out, it ends and you’re a civilian again,” Fill said. “The person you become is forever changed by the military service you’ve experienced. I owe everything I am to the U.S. Marines. I don’t recognize who I was beforehand.”
While the mission was clear while he served, Fill said he had to find a new mission now that he is out.
“My new mission is now school,” Fill said. “Everything else is secondary. I am focused on earning a 4.0.”