Old and young veterans mingled around while the smooth sounds of the Citrus College Blue Note Orchestra played in the background. They laughed and recounted military stories that have been told time and time again as they bonded over one common thing: pleasure in serving the United States.
Students could hear the sound of gunshots and displays of Americana on Nov. 7 at the Campus Center Mall during the 14th annual Saluting our Veterans event put together by the Veterans Center and the Associated Students of Citrus College, ASCC.
The event commenced with Azusa Pacific University’s ROTC program presenting the colors to. The national anthem was sung by one of Blue Note’s singers followed by the master of ceremonies, John Vaughan making his way up to the stage to introduce Superintendent President Geraldine M. Perri. 
President Perri welcomed the crowd and spoke about the services offered by the college to other veteran students. She ended her brief introduction by thanking the men and women who have served the nation.
“Citrus College puts our veterans first,” said President Perri.
With a 21 gun salute, the Band of Brothers from the 12034 post, a group of veterans, saluted the fallen student soldiers. This was followed by a prayer from a chaplain and a moment of silence as the rifles were shot.
Martha McDonald, the vice president of student services went up to the stage and recognized veterans honorees from the surrounding cities.
Among the recognized were Citrus College honoree, Sal Hernandeza specialist in radio mechanics who worked in the 17th infantry division in 1967.
One APU honoree was Donato Powell. Powell was a major in the U.S. Marine Corps. Powell enlisted in the Marines in 1988 and passed the “ironman” physical test. Powell also received a bachelor’s degree from U.C. Davis. He went on to enlist in the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion.
This event has helped many of the veterans come together and bond over the grievances of going through war and even through the process of readjusting to civilian life, a process that for many takes several years.
