Cell phone alarms sounded at 10:30 the moring of the 9/11 kicking off the opening event for the student veterans centers fall 2009 first annual “Meet & Greet”. The room was comfortably filled with veterans both students & faculty shaking hands, talking about how they came to be at UMass Boston, what branch wither they were in or the veteran in their life was.

Glancing around the room, peeking ears heard the comforting sounds of laughter as eyes drank in the camaraderie that was being exchanged among the many service members and their newly acquired friends.

On every wall you saw flags of the different branches, giving of the feeling of a home away from home. A balanced den of common experience and mutual understanding while introducing each other, and our selves, to the world we have come back to.

Nobody forgot that it was anything but a day to remember. To remember those whom have fallen and those who have returned. To celebrate the lives of sacrifice while honoring those whom made the biggest sacrifice they could give. While we all remembered we started a new chapter in our lives, meeting new people, going to or coming from various classes, we found a level of known understanding and found possibly the happy medium.

With a new coordinator for Student Veterans Center, SVC kicked off a new year with a fresh look to the future dictated by the veterans themselves. While remembering who and what we are we head into the new collegiate year with bright eyes and smiling faces, ready to meet the new challenges and take chances on the adventures.

Welcome to the new year!