BC Honors Veterans at Annual Luncheon

Janelle Seenath

As the nation mourns the loss of 13 soldiers at Ft. Hood, Texas, and as we prepare for the possibility of sending more troops to Afghanistan, Brooklyn College honored its own servicemen and women at a luncheon in Tanger-Hillel sponsored by the Brooklyn College Veteran Students’ Organization and the Veterans Affairs and Counseling Center.

"Veterans are worthy, in the deepest way, of all the support we can possibly provide," said the college’s new president, Karen L. Gould, noting that her own father is a veteran who completed his education with help from the G.I. Bill.

The luncheon featured a production of "Fit for Society," a three-person play that seeks to explain the difficulties that soldiers, sailors, aviators and marines experience as they transition from military to civilian life. It was written by Brian Monahan and Stephan Wolfert and is directed by Wolfert, who is also the director of the Tony Award-winning Broadway production, "Movin' Out!"

Janelle Seenath, a senior majoring in psychology, who interrupted her studies at Brooklyn College to join the Navy as an electrician’s mate on submarines based in Italy and Florida, said she was proud of her service.

"It has made me a well-rounded person," she said, observing that she may be deployed again in January. "I can handle anything now."

Seenath, the president of the Veteran Students Organization and one of 72 female veterans at the college, addressed the audience of roughly 60 who came out to commemorate the day. "I just want the campus to remember that a vet is always around you," she said. "We walk among you. We don’t always wear our uniforms but we still like to be recognized for all that we do to defend our country."