Cal U alumni, Army veteran, addressed importance of ‘thank you’
John F. Brothers | Herald-Standard
Lt. Col. Jon Brierton, a 1994 graduate, talks about the feelings of veterans during his keynote address for the 43rd annual Veterans Dinner at at California University of Pennsylvania.
John F. Brothers | Herald-Standard
Lt. Col. Jon Brierton, a 1994 graduate of at California University of Pennsylvania gives the keynote address during the 43rd Veterans Dinner at the university.
Geraldine Jones, president of at California University of Pennsylvania, welcomes veterans and guests to the Veterans Dinner at the university. The dinner has been hosted annually by the California University Veterans Club for the past 43 years.
John F. Brothers | Herald-Standard
Army Spec. Nicholas Miller and Whitney Ptak, member of the Army National Guard, conduct the Table of Remembrance ceremony for POWs and MIAs during the 43rd annual Veterans Dinner at at California University of Pennsylvania.
A local decorated military officer implored others to offer a heartfelt “thank you” to veterans as the nation honors servicemen and women today.
“Ask them about their service. Get to know them, know their story. A heartfelt thank you goes a long way,” said Lt. Col. Jon Brierton Brierton, a 1994 graduate of California University of Pennsylvania. “Veterans recall, reflect and remember a great personal and unique aspect of time they served in uniform.”
Brierton, who now lives in Allegheny County, entered full-time military service in 1996 and deployed to Iraq in 2005 and to Afghanistan in 2012.
As a Cal U undergraduate, Brierton earned a degree in manufacturing technology and was active with ROTC and Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity.
After holding a variety of leadership and staff positions, he now serves as installations management directorate strategic planner for the Office of the Chief of the Army Reserve, based near Washington, D.C.
Among his numerous awards and decorations are the Bronze Star, six Meritorious Service awards, eight Army Commendation awards, two Army Achievement awards, campaign medals denoting service in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the Global War on Terrorism service award.
In 1999 he received the Engineer Regiments Grizzly Award for the Army Reserve Platoon Leader of the Year.
He spoke at Wednesday’s 43rd Veterans Day Dinner in Cal U’s Convocation Center.
“Veterans serve for various reasons — some for education benefits, some to learn a trade or special skill,” Brierton said. “But some serve because it’s a calling — a legacy of service. Maybe it’s patriotism, or to be a part of something larger than themselves.”
During his keynote address, Brierton also spoke on the ones left behind when servicemen and women are deployed.
“It’s tough on a family. When a service member is gone, the spouse is a single parent. He/she has the responsibility of being the mother and father, and to carry on day-to-day tasks,” he said. “In times of deployment, there’s an additional burden, worrying about the health and safety of loved ones.”
“We’re very fortunate to be in southwestern Pennsylvania. It’s a special place,” Brierton said, adding that he applauds the campus and local communities who honor veterans by displaying banners of military members on lampposts. “Throughout the years, folks from southwestern PA have answered their call to serve and have sacrificed for the greater good of our country.”
Brierton also commended the campus for their “abundant support to the military” and their strong ROTC program.
Brierton said Veterans Day “celebrates veterans of generations past, and welcomes new generations of veterans” who served overseas.
“Every day, they honor us with the fruits of their service,” he said.
State Sen. Camera Bartolotta, R-Carroll Township, said honoring veterans is “our duty and responsibility.
She, too, stressed the need to openly express gratitude to veterans.
“‘Thank you.’ They’re words we usually throw away. We forget who we say those words to, and even that they have any meaning,” said Bartolotta.
“But when you say them to a veteran, look them in the eyes and say it from the heart,” she said. “We must honor, understand and respect what our veterans have done.”