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Â鶹ӰÊÓ Community,

Our institution has a long history of educating and training veterans. On this Veterans Day, I want to thank our alumni and current student veterans, veterans serving on our faculty and staff, and veterans in our Â鶹ӰÊÓ and Orange County communities. Â鶹ӰÊÓ is committed to supporting the educational and career aspirations of the veterans in our community.

Like many, my family tree has military branches. My grandfather served on an aircraft carrier in the Pacific during World War II. When the war was over, he went to work in the machine tools field. While my grandfather had graduated from college before the war, many of his fellow soldiers went to college on the new GI Bill – a commitment to invest in our veterans and their future in recognition of their service to our county and its future.

At Â鶹ӰÊÓ, we value our student and employee veterans. Our Vice President and Chief of Student Services Greg Bellamy began his higher education journey while serving as a Senior Airman in the US Air Force, where he was assigned to the 36th Tactical Fighter Wing at Bitburg Air Base, Germany supporting all F-15 "Strike Eagle" Jet Fighter squadrons. While in Germany, he began taking University of Maryland distance education and evening classes held on the air base with the support of the Veterans Education Assistance Program. After leaving the Air Force, Vice President Bellamy went on to serve as a middle school teacher, prison instructor, and in instructional and leadership roles for the past 21 years at Â鶹ӰÊÓ.

We are proud to educate veterans of the military like Vice President Bellamy and to certify student to receive the benefits of the GI Bill.

As we celebrate this Veteran’s Day, I want to recognize the hard work, determination, and bravery of our student veterans and their pursuit of post-service opportunities, as well as our employees who create welcoming and supportive environments.

All my best,

JB