Veterans honored at annual luncheon at Penn State York

Penn State York honored its veterans on Friday, Nov. 9 with a luncheon and program that was open to the campus community.  The event was sponsored by Penn State York’s student veterans’ group, Student Veterans of America (SVA), York Chapter.

The program included a presentation by Staff Sergeant Zachary Sturges, an Army recruiter, who shared his military experience, a panel discussion, and time for the audience to ask questions. In response to a question about the proper way to do a push up, several veterans and other students in attendance hit the floor and demonstrated.

“The idea of the panel was to help show the appropriate way to talk to veterans, the do’s and don’ts,” said Patrick Leeper, a Penn State York student-veteran and vice president of the SVA.

Some example of questions and topics okay to ask a military veteran include:

• Where did you serve the majority of your time in the service?
• What rank are you most proud to have earned, and why?
• Which medals are you most honored to have received, and why?
• Tell me a funny story that could only happen in the military.

The questions not to ask include:

• Have you ever killed someone?
• How could you leave your family for so long?
• Do you have PTSD?
• Did you see any dead bodies?

To view photos from the event visit Flickr. 

In addition to honoring veterans for their service, this annual event provides a forum for those on campus to learn more about veterans and their experiences.