<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2kBASg_1H4HyRA800" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2kBASg_1H4HyRA800" width="901" height="1200" ><figcaption>Credit: Benjamin Lehman/Unsplash</figcaption></figure>Veterans Day comes each year to remind us of the people who make it their duty to protect us as Americans. We honor their service by celebrating them, but do we truly know what they have done and all that they have endured? California State University, Bakersfield, has many veterans who have attended or are currently attending. One such veteran is Erik Ramirez, who is the Associated Student Inc. leadership and programs coordinator.Born to migrant farmworkers in McFarland, California, he grew up in a house of 10 people. His parents instilled in him a solid work ethic and made sure he focused on his education to, in his words, “live out the dreams that they couldn’t.” Ramirez knew he wanted to help people. In high school, he took an interest in psychology. Also in high school, he was told by his teacher, who was a veteran, about military service, and he was inspired to join the military himself.Ramirez enlisted in the United States Army Reserve out of high school in 2018. He went to boot camp at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, and did his advanced individual training at Fort Lee, Virginia. He became a unit supply specialist with the 306th Psychological Operations Company and was stationed in Orange County for the duration of his military service. His unit was tasked with intelligence-gathering missions that assisted with foreign deployments, both potential and actual. He also trained with medics in medical training exercises. One of the benefits of being an Army reservist was that Ramirez was able to come back home regularly, and was able to attend CSUB starting in 2019. He did his undergraduate studies in psychology and received his bachelor’s degree. He furthered his education by receiving a master’s degree in educational counseling at CSUB in 2024. Ramirez met his wife, Bridget, in graduate school. After completing his master’s degree, he and his wife moved to Sacramento to pursue job opportunities at colleges in the area, but eventually returned to Bakersfield and CSUB, where they both now work.While Ramirez was in graduate school, he worked as a student assistant at the Veterans Success Center at CSUB, where he learned that he wanted to pursue work in therapy. After returning to Bakersfield, he started working with ASI in late 2025.Ramirez wants to continue his work by helping students and making CSUB their first option rather than a last resort. It’s his goal to “[make] CSUB the place people choose first”. Ramirez is humble about his eight years of military service, but he is also passionate about the struggles that veterans face when attending CSUB or returning to civilian life. Veterans are given strength in their spirit and a purpose that can sometimes feel directionless when they return to civilian life; there is very little systemic structure, and it can seem like everyone is out only for themselves outside of the military. Veterans are taught to work as a team, and the military functions well through this approach, but nonmilitary sectors of life can feel disorganized and isolating to those used to a team-focused framework. Often, veterans have difficulty readjusting to life after their discharge, and while there are places for them to get assistance, they don’t always know where to start looking or even admit that they need help for fear of appearing weak. When asked if there was anything he would want the public to know, Ramirez said that people shouldn’t feel intimidated by military veterans trying to adjust to their new post-service living situations, and to be patient with them. “Everyone needs to know that they have a place to go, and it’s okay to need help,” Ramirez said. Sometimes, it’s immediate and directly impactful, and other times it may just be a need to be around others who can relate to them. On campus, veterans can gather at places like the Veterans Success Center or the Veterans Club for assistance with academics or emotional support and to connect with other veterans. “They may be from a different branch [of the military] or from a different time, but they are like you, and you belong,” Ramirez said.This Veterans Day, we can take time to appreciate the veterans who live among us, their service, and their struggles, “… so we don’t have to remember them only on Memorial Day.” Ramirez remarked.</div></body>

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Veterans Day comes each year to remind us of the people who make it their duty to protect us as Americans. We honor their service by celebrating them, but do we truly know what they have done and all that they have endured?. California State University, Bakersfield, has many veterans...

The View of a Veteran

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Veterans Day comes each year to remind us of the people who make it their duty to protect us as Americans. We honor their service by celebrating them, but 

The View of a Veteran

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