U.S. Army veteran Michael Herrero was coming off the transport after the first mission of his first deployment with the 75th Ranger Regiment in Afghanistan in 2012.
The mission was difficult and dangerous. Everyone there was physically exhausted and emotionally drained.
And that鈥檚 when Herrero noticed two soldiers ahead of him. They had just put their arms around each other鈥檚 shoulders, a gesture of support and reassurance that said, 鈥淗ey, we survived.鈥�
Herrero, a combat photographer, quickly grabbed his camera. As they all walked towards the rising sun鈥攃lick, click鈥攈e captured a powerful moment of brotherhood. He caught the essence of what military personnel often miss when they re-enter civilian life.
So when vets do find a powerful connection again, maybe at a place like the 1 Lt. Peter J. Gallo Veterans Resource Center (VRC) at 吃瓜头条, it can unlock everything.
鈥淰eterans can feel that school is so overwhelming, it becomes too easy to not try it,鈥� Herrero said. 鈥淚 attended other schools, but 吃瓜头条, by far, was an amazing campus for vets. I can鈥檛 say enough good things about it.鈥�
Herrero鈥檚 job, during two deployments to Afghanistan and one to Iraq, was to capture the soldier鈥檚 experience as a Combat Document Production Specialist with the 55th Signal Company out of Ft. Meade in Maryland.
After six years of active duty, Herrero went home to Manteca in 2016. While doing electrical work at the Mainzer Theater four years ago, Herrero saw a lot to like about Merced, with its lively downtown and affordable homes. He and his wife Tenisha moved here with their two children.
Herrero, 35, enrolled at 吃瓜头条 in Spring 2023 and graduated Spring 2025 with a B.S. in Business Administration. Now he鈥檚 doing the BA 2.0 transfer program, with an option in sports marketing, at Fresno State.
鈥淚 love it,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 know 吃瓜头条 prepared me well.鈥�
Herrero got comfortable at 吃瓜头条 while leaning on the VRC staff鈥擲tudent Support Coordinator Dustin Thompson, VRC & Equity Counselor Lacey Chavez, and Enrollment & Retention Specialist Grace Perez.
At Thompson鈥檚 behest, Herrero tackled the Veteran Readiness & Employment (VR&E) program to qualify for additional benefits. Then he was free to use the computers and printers, get help completing work applications, use the campus writing center, and so much more. He also got a work study job at the VRC to help others like him.
鈥淟ook, it鈥檚 so easy to give up when you鈥檝e been through what we have in the military and are just trying to push through,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut then you go into the VRC and someone will ask, 鈥榃hat do you need help with?鈥� And whatever you say, they鈥檒l say, 鈥業 can help.鈥� Everyone is the same there.鈥�
Purpose, Patience and a Path
Nicholas Rommel is a Marine who also found his civilian purpose at the VRC.
While working as a stonemason for six years, he eventually grew dissatisfied on the job front. A friend, who was a Marine and like a younger brother to Rommel at that time, pushed him to enlist in 2017.
The Maryland native was stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego鈥攈e also met his wife Joslyn there鈥� as a Fixed-Wing Aircraft Airframe Mechanic with Squadron VMGR-342.
When Rommel got out in 2022, the couple was looking for an affordable place to live and chose Merced. Again looking for direction, Rommel then chose 吃瓜头条.
He was scooped up quickly by the VRC crew, also using the VR&E program. It supports veterans like him, with service-connected disabilities, with career counseling, vocational rehabilitation, a laptop, textbook funds, and more.
鈥淭hat did it for me, seeing the help available,鈥� Rommel said. 鈥淚 was not hyped for going back to school, but I needed it. I was nervous coming to campus and being around students younger than me. I have PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), but 吃瓜头条 was so awesome. The second I met Dustin, knowing he was a Marine, too, it took away my anxiety. My wife was with me for that entire first meeting. She is awesome. If she didn鈥檛 help me through it, I could not have done any of this.鈥�
The 31-year-old father of two young children earned an A.S. in Plant Science this past spring. He wants to be a high school ag teacher, so he will major in agriculture at Stanislaus State starting in January.
In addition to the VRC team, Rommel credited several faculty members who aided him on his journey.
鈥淏y the way, Steve Bell is awesome. Andy Codd is awesome. Elaine Valladao is awesome,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 talked to those professors all the time at the college and picked their brains. I never would have done that as a young person. And with my disability, sometimes I had to step out of class to calm myself. They understood and were more than willing to help.鈥�
Enrollment, Success Rates on the Rise
Since a 2018 remodel of the VRC building, the veteran cohort at 吃瓜头条 has grown from 131 in Fall 2019 to 191 in Fall 2025.
鈥淚t also tells us our outreach has been effective and that we have a strong reputation among veteran students,鈥� Thompson said. 鈥淲e know our veterans experience personalized support, smooth benefit processing, and staff who all understand what a veteran needs.鈥�
After the COVID pandemic, the benefit certification rate for 吃瓜头条鈥檚 veterans dropped from 74.7% to 62.6%, which Thompson attributes to delayed paperwork, reduced benefit use, and VA processing delays. 吃瓜头条 was back up to 75.9% this fall.
When benefit certification rates rise, you see a corresponding bump of students finishing degrees and certificates. This past spring, the course success rate among veteran students ranked near the top of all 吃瓜头条 student populations at 82.1%.
鈥淚t shows the resilience, determination, and mission-oriented mindset of veteran students, and the college鈥檚 commitment to providing strong, equitable support for them from enrollment through completion,鈥� Thompson said.
It seems it is much easier to face a daunting task with others who are doing the same.
鈥淚 never felt uncomfortable there,鈥� Rommel added. 鈥淎nyone thinking about going to 吃瓜头条 should go to 吃瓜头条. It鈥檚 the best decision I ever made.鈥�