A Salute to Terp Vets

Joseph Filla ’21 spent 9 ½ years in the U.S. Army, with one deployment to Iraq and two to Afghanistan. Now, he’s majoring in information studies and studying groundwater extraction in the University of Maryland’s First-Year Innovation Research Experience.

It’s a big transition, and one not unusual for the 1,000 military veterans on UMD’s campus. Veteran Student Life and the student-run organization TerpVets strive to support this community, hosting social events, providing volunteer opportunities and offering mentorship to help ease the shift from military life to civilian college life.

As part of Veterans Week, Maryland will salute the veteran community with a service today from noon to 1:30 p.m. at Memorial Chapel. The program will include music, a slideshow of current and former military connected to the university, and remarks by veterans Sara Feret ’19, executive vice president of the TerpVets advisory board who worked as a cryptological technician for the U.S. Navy, and Michael G. Moore ’68, a member of the Maryland Veterans Commission. The service will be followed by a buffet lunch.

Meet three current Terp student-veterans below: