Stony Brook University Honors Service at Annual Veterans Day Ceremony

Stony Brook University marked Veterans Day with a ceremony on November 12 in the Sidney Gelber Auditorium that brought together students, faculty, staff, community members and veterans to reflect on service, sacrifice and the experiences of military families.

Organized by the Office of Military and Veteran Student Services, the event blended tradition with personal stories from veterans and military-affiliated students. 

The program began with the Spirit of Stony Brook Marching Band performing the service anthems, followed by the ROTC Culper Battalion presenting the colors and Staff Sgt. (Ret.) Jennifer Castle ‘09 singing the national anthem. But the afternoon’s emphasis quickly shifted from ceremony to the lived realities behind military service. 

Master of ceremonies Max Langenbacher ‘26, a Marine Corps veteran and social work student, set that tone early. He described the decision that led him to enlist and the jolt of arriving at the Marine Corps training base in Parris Island, South Carolina. “The second I stepped onto the yellow footprints,” he said, “I thought, ‘What am I doing here?’”

What grounded him, he explained, were the unexpected friendships that formed around him. “An emo rocker from Boston, a Cuban boxer from Jacksonville and a Bolivian devout Catholic from Queens,” he recalled. “We formed a motley crew.” Those relationships, he said, are still close-knit to this day.

Marianna Savoca, associate vice president for career readiness and experiential education, delivered the university welcome and reflected on the values she learned from her own family members who served. She connected those values — “duty, selfless service, loyalty, honor, integrity and personal courage” — to the impact veterans have on campus.

Savoca also thanked the staff and volunteers who support military-affiliated students throughout the year, noting the work is grounded in “respect for the sacrifices veterans and their families make.”

The family perspective took center stage when nine-year-old Annabelle Rumfelt, a military child whose mother, Jane York, served in the Navy, and works as the coordinator of military and veteran student services at Stony Brook, stepped up to the microphone. Rumfelt shared nine things she appreciates about growing up in a military household, including the support she feels from her community.

One of her favorite traditions, she said, is “decorating the veterans lounge every year,” a ritual that connects her to the wider community of service members and families. She closed by thanking “our veterans, and our military families, especially the military kids like me!”

Second Lt. Pamela Chen ‘28 offered another view of service shaped by her own personal history. A former enlisted soldier and now a second-year medical student, Chen spoke candidly about growing up in foster care.

“During times like this, it was easy to feel invisible, to feel like a burden to someone else, but as all hope was lost, the foster care system was there to save us,” she said. She reflected on how those experiences shaped her understanding of service: “The government services that so many debate and discuss… were tangible. A promise from this country that said, ‘You will not fall through the cracks, you matter.’”

Chen credited that sense of gratitude for guiding her decision to enlist. “The deep gratitude I had for being taken care of by the foster care system and the confidence I gained from my time at Stony Brook made my decision to enlist easy, despite knowing the challenges I would face ahead,” she explained.

She also noted the support of mentors along the way, highlighting Sharon Cuff, LMSW, a clinical associate professor in the health science major, saying, “I would like to contribute my success in securing a seat at Stony Brook’s medical school to her.”

Reflecting on service and responsibility, Chen said, “For me, enlisting wasn’t just a career choice. It was an opportunity to be a part of something greater than myself.” About facing challenges, she shared, “We always have a choice.” 

The ceremony’s most solemn moment came during the POW/MIA Table presentation by Army veteran and graduate student Vincent Mogavero ’26. He explained each symbolic item: the empty chair for those who are missing, the red rose symbolizing love and the slice of lemon representing the bitterness of loss. “This table serves as a profound reminder of the personal sacrifices that temper the sweetness of enduring peace,” he said.

More than 200 military-affiliated students, including veterans, active-duty service members and dependents, are part of the Stony Brook community. The Veteran’s Day ceremony highlighted the variety of paths that bring them here and the shared commitment that continues long after service.

— Lily Miller