Veterans Day Celebration Remarks
The following is a transcript of the address given by President James T. Harris III at the Veterans Day Celebration at the Kroc School Garden of the Sky on Nov. 5, 2019.
"Heroes are just ordinary men and women
who have experienced …
lived through …
and learned from …
extraordinary circumstances.
The heroes in comic books —
Captain America, Superman, Batman and many others —
were modeled after
the ideal virtues
of the American men and women serving in the military
during World War II.
And today’s American soldiers, Marines,
seamen, airmen and
coast guardsmen
are no different.
They are simultaneously ordinary and extraordinary.
At the University of San Diego,
we have 782 military-connected students.
They are active-duty or in the reserves,
part of our NROTC program,
military dependents and, of course, veterans.
This Veterans Day we are celebrating all veterans,
but especially our student veterans
who so bravely served our country
and now, as students at USD,
are serving our campus and our community.
Over the last two years,
I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know Simon Sandoval,
one of our student veterans.
I first met Simon at last year’s Men@USD Leadership Retreat,
sponsored by University Ministry.
At the retreat, men like Simon
talked about what it means to be a man at USD.
They talked about how it takes strength and courage to be vulnerable.
They talked about what it means to be leaders
on this campus and in their everyday lives.
I’ve also talked with Simon at the Martin Luther King Parade,
run into Simon on campus
and talked with him further
at a recognition ceremony for our military-connected graduates
aboard the USS Midway last spring.
Simon, who helped organize today’s event,
is the son of a U.S. soldier.
He’ll be the first to tell you that when he was in high school he kept his grades up just enough to wrestle and play football.
He wasn’t sure he’d ever go to college.
So he enlisted in the Marine Corps at 18, right out of high school.
Simon retired after serving 22 years in the Marine Corps.
He did two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan.
He earned a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart.
It was then Simon realized that he was ready for college.
He didn’t get into San Diego State University.
He didn’t get into University of California, San Diego.
But perhaps that’s because he was meant to be here at USD.
For Simon —
who was a drill instructor
stationed at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot
not too far from campus —
being accepted to the University of San Diego
was a dream come true.
When he received his acceptance letter
saying that we wanted him at USD,
he dropped to his knees
and called his mom to tell her,
with tears running down his face,
the good news.
Today, he’s a student at USD. He’s a Torero. He’s a Changemaker.
He’s majoring in history
and recently joined Phi Alpha Theta,
an American honor society
for students and professors of history.
He’s received a USD Spirit Award for exuding the Torero spirit.
And he’s been on the Dean’s List — twice.
Simon will graduate in May
and hopes to become a high school history teacher
and go back to a place where he can inspire young students,
just like he did young Marines.
Simon says his time as a teacher will be the second chapter in his life.
His goal isn’t to become rich.
It’s to do something he finds fulfilling,
something that allows him to give back.
This year, our Veterans Day celebration is called
“Our Journeys, Our Stories”
and we’re focused on telling the stories
of our veterans and sharing each hero’s journey.
We were inspired to embark on this endeavor
after hearing about Joseph Campbell
who studied hero myths from all over the world
and wrote a book called,
The Hero With a Thousand Faces.
The hero’s journey is a cycle.
The journey begins and ends in the ordinary world,
but often the hero is called to be a part of something extraordinary.
On the journey, the hero goes through trials and tribulations
and faces what may seem to be his or her darkest hour.
Eventually our hero returns to the ordinary world,
but the quest has led to a change.
The hero has learned perseverance, resilience
and other attributes that will continue to serve him or her for life.
Nothing will ever be the same.
We hope, after being a student at USD,
that nothing will ever be the same
for our student veterans — our heroes.
Every student at USD is a hero in some way
and every hero has an origin story.
I’m proud to know that their origin stories all converge
at the University of San Diego —
that USD is playing a role
in helping them become who they are.
We hope our students realize —
when they think about their time as a Torero —
that it was here …
on this campus …
in our classrooms, lecture halls and labs …
that they were forever changed.
I encourage you to tell your story
and the role USD has played in your story.
Maybe it was here where you met people who would become
lifelong mentors,
sidekicks and
partners in your cause.
We want to hear those stories.
We want to hear that maybe it was at USD
where you learned to soar …
to be a Changemaker …
to change the world."