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Earlier this month, Central’s Student Veterans Organization (SVO), with support from the Student Government Association and Student Activities and Leadership Development, took part in a suicide prevention and parachuting program held near Tampa, Florida.
Working with a team of instructors at 22 Mohawks and the X-35 Airborne School and National Parachute Test Center, 11 student veterans joined 25 other veterans to talk about mental health and suicide prevention; connect with a supportive community of veterans; and learn static line parachuting from C-47 Skytrains.
As part of its mission, 22 Mohawks operates as a first point of contact for service members when they return home from duty or to those who have been home and need help. Its goal is to provide the physical and mental support veterans and first responders need while bringing together their loved ones and communities.
During the six-day event, Central’s student veterans spent time in the classroom, on the practice field, and starting on the third day, in the air. Students learned the equipment, the techniques, and the emergency procedures that are taught to active-duty service members in an environment tailored for the now-civilian veteran population.
Participating student veterans were Abraham Romo Gonzalez, Andrew Dilko, Benjamin Levine, Benjamin Sholl, Brian Lozier, Ian Berghorn, Jamal Rismay, Jeyvi Betances, Matthew Huston, Nicholas Whaley, and Pablo Ravizzoli.
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