Cal U's annual Veterans Day event features Lt. Col. Jaclyn Berger, a Cal U alumna.
- Lt. Col. Jaclyn Sickles Berger.
- Lt. Col. Jaclyn Sickles Berger; Cal U interim President Dr. Dale-Elizabeth Pehrsson; and Vice President for Enrollment Management T. David Garcia, former member of the Ohio Army National Guard.
- T. David Garcia, vice president for Enrollment Management and former member of the Army National Guard; Cherie Sears, Rutledge Institute Preschool director; Juan Bueno, recipient of the Col. Arthur L. Bakewell Scholarship; interim President Dr. Dale-Elizabeth Pehrsson; and Maj. Robert Prah, director of the Office of Military and Veterans Affairs.
Lt. Col. Jaclyn Sickles Berger, a 2003 graduate of California University of Pennsylvania, addressed current and former members of the military, their families and other guests at the 48th annual Veterans Day Luncheon at Cal U.
Berger joined the U.S. Army Reserve on Feb. 3, 1999, and spent five years in the enlisted ranks before receiving her commission in the Reserve Officer training Corps in 2003.
Berger serves in the 78th Training Command as an observer controller/trainer at Fort Dix, N.J., and has been an ammunition specialist, platoon leader, ordnance officer, personnel mobilization officer, mobilization team officer in charge, unit maintenance officer and secretary of the general staff.
Her awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal and Army Service Ribbon.
“It’s important that we remember what Veterans Day stands for,” Berger said. “Take time to ask a veteran their story. You’ll be amazed at what they have to share.”
Dr. Dale-Elizabeth Pehrsson, interim president of Cal U, welcomed guests to the luncheon.
“You have much to tell us and teach us, and you enrich our campus and this community,” she said.
Juan Bueno, a senior psychology major and president of the Veterans Club at Cal U, was awarded the 2021-2022 Col. Arthur L. Bakewell Scholarship. He served as a sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2013-2017.
The award honors the late Bakewell, Cal U’s first director of Military Affairs. His daughter Cherie Sears, director of the Rutledge Institute Preschool at Cal U, attended the luncheon.