Welcome to the Veteran Alumni Chapter community!
Mission: Provide camaraderie, networking and scholarship to current student veterans. Ensure that veteran alumni receive the care entitled to them. Support our fellow veteran alumni in all lawful ways and its alumni.
Veteran Alumni Spring 2013 Newsletter
Veteran Alumni Chapter Board Member Welcome and Introductions
The new 2012-2013 Veteran Alumni Chapter board
members would like to welcome you and introduce themselves. This year
the goal of the Veteran Alumni Chapter is to reach out to more veteran
alumni to keep Aztecs together who share the special bond that Aztecs
have with SDSU, fellow classmates and veterans. We look forward to your
participation and invite your feedback on how we can serve you this
year. Please know we have set the following 2012-2013 board meeting
dates: April 26, July 26 and October (tbd) and are discussing future
events.
We
welcome your input. Contact us at 
sdsuveteranalumni@gmail.com
Help us spread the word about the Veteran
Alumni Chapter. Your participation is vital to our outreach and growth.
Board Member Introductions
Ed Fletcher - President
Please
accept my sincere thanks. I am honored and humbled as I accept the
position as President of the SDSU Veteran Alumni Chapter. Be assured
that I accept this challenge wholeheartedly, recognizing the
contributions of those who have served in the positions of leadership
before me. I offer my congratulations to the others who were elected as
officers and herewith pledge to work with them to ensure the
betterment of the Chapter.I have been associated with SDSU since 1950,
when I began my undergraduate studies.I received both my B.A. and M.A.
degree from San Diego State University - which in those days was known
as San Diego State College. During my tenure as President, I plan to
maintain close contact with those organizations closely associated the
Veteran Alumni Chapter, such as the Student Veterans Organization, the
Reserve Officers Training Course, and the War Memorial Committee, as
well as the city of San Diego, and its military community.
Do not hesitate to contact me whenever I may be of service.
Edward Fletcher
Veteran Alumni Chapter President
Christopher Hanson – Executive Vice President
Fellow members of the Veteran Alumni Chapter, My
name is Chris Hanson and I have been elected to be your Chapter
Executive Vice President. I am honored by the trust you have placed in
me to build our organization and serve our community. We have something
very special at SDSU: A legacy of selfless service and capable
leadership. When I graduated with a degree in history from SDSU, I
didn't think that I would be able to put my academic discipline to work
so quickly. I now realize that the strength of an organization comes
from an understanding of its History and the commitment to honor the
past while always striving to improve. I will share with you over my
tenure, historical items of interest and stories from our members. The
more we know about our history and our fellow members, the more we
will appreciate why we need to continue to support our university and
our fellow Veteran Alumni Chapter members. I see the Veteran Alumni
Chapter as an organization with a purpose to explore and share our
storied past.. from the veterans who banded together to honor their
fallen comrades and to construct our war memorial, to the many officers
who were trained at SDSU - many who presently serve currently in our
armed forces, to the veterans who have served who have come to SDSU to
broaden their horizons and continue their service. We are many, but we
are one family. I intend to invite the many generations of veterans who
belong to the Aztec family and ensure that they are able to share their
stories, share their experiences and share their time with those who are
their brothers and sister in the world's finest fraternity.. the
Brotherhood of Arms. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to
be of service to you and I hope to watch as our veteran community
proudly joins the Veteran Alumni Chapter.
Sincerely,
Chris Hanson
David Barker – Financial Manager
As
a newly elected SDSU Veteran Alumni Chapter officer, I want to first
say thank you to all who lead the charge in previous times. I know
groups of this nature are powered by volunteers, and that some of the
best are represented in SDSU alums. Thank you all.
I look forward to helping this group meet all calls to action and
giving back to SDSU. This is a path of discovery as I'm interested in
learning about those veterans who have come before us and supporting
those who will come after. In good Navy terms, wishing fair winds and following seas! Go Aztecs!
David Barker
Erik DeShane - Secretary
To
the fellow members of the San Diego State University Veteran’s Alumni
Chapter, I’d first like to thank all of you for the opportunity you have
given me in letting me continue to represent you and the chapter as
your secretary during this next term. For those of you who are new to
the chapter, I’d like to take a quick moment and welcome you to the
chapter and introduce myself to you. I currently am an active duty
United States Air Force captain and have served as a career Security
Forces officer for the last almost eight years. In my short time in the
service thus far, I have been stationed at several bases (Vandenberg
AFB, CA; Lackland AFB, TX; and currently Dover AFB, DE). I have
additionally deployed twice and have had the pleasure of working with
some of the finest men and women in the United States Air Force. Prior
to my Air Force service I received my undergraduate degree from SDSU in
criminal justice administration (class of 2004). I am extremely proud
of being an SDSU graduate and the time I have spent in the service thus
far.
Despite
all of those things, I’d have to say that the thing I am proudest of to
date is the fact that I was given the opportunity to help stand up the
Veteran’s Alumni Chapter back in 2009. Since the Chapter’s official
recognition on Veterans day in 2009, I as the vice president at that
time truly enjoyed seeing this chapter continue to grow as one of only a
small handful of officially sanctioned veteran alumni chapters in the
nation and seeing how we as a chapter truly bring a unique voice to the
Alumni Association and San Diego State University. This voice is the
voice of you all…the voice of the veteran. As your secretary, I am
excited and looking forward to working with my fellow chapter officers
in continuing to grow the chapter and expand on the many unique
perspectives and community service projects that we can bring as
veterans to the SDSU Alumni Association, the university and local
community as a whole. I look forward to representing you all, the
university and continuing to set the standard for veteran alumni
chapters for the nation.
If at any time you need anything from me or
your other chapter officers please don’t hesitate to contact us. Thank
you and here’s to making 2012 another great year for our chapter.
v/r,
Erik L. DeShane, Capt, USAF
PAST EVENTS:
War Memorial on Aztec Green
Friday, October 7, 2011
9 a.m. • Coffee Social
9:30 a.m. • Ceremony
Veteran Alumni Scholarship Social
Friday, December 3, 2010
Robert Fikes Research Report
According to research completed in 2006 by historian and SDSU librarian Robert Fikes, almost half of those listed on the monument were pilots. Nearly a third were married and the average age at death was 25.6 years. The three youngest casualties were all age 19 and the oldest was 41. Among them are two Hispanic Americans, one Asian American, one African American, one Native American, and four who were born in foreign countries.
Fikes' research report says the monument presently "lists not only the names of alumni killed on the front lines of battle, but also those who died mostly in accidents both here and abroad while on active duty."
The research also reveals some interesting quirks in the memorial. Besides some inconsistencies in the spellings of names, Fikes found three alumni listed as dead who were still living when the monument was erected and two with no record of military service.