St. John’s Alumnus Continues Commitment to Fellow Veterans

In 2010, Gabriel Vazquez ’18CPS volunteered to serve his country—but his service did not end when his military commitment concluded.

Sgt. Vazquez, a former US Marine Corps intelligence analyst, is today an advocate for veterans’ mental health initiatives. His volunteer work among disabled veterans and veterans’ families, particularly those with ties to St. John’s University, has shone a light on the unique challenges those communities face. 

He has organized bicycle rides, softball games, and other fundraisers on behalf of physically and emotionally wounded service members. Every Veterans Day, he lays wreaths on the gravesites of deceased veterans at Arlington National Cemetery that remain there through the holiday season until he and his colleagues remove them. 

Married with two children, he also finds time to visit Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, MD, to chat with wounded service members whose stories inspire him.

“In the veteran community, we continue to serve even after we have served out the time on our contracts,” Sgt. Vazquez explained. “We raise our right hand to serve, but our service to each other doesn’t end.” 

How Sgt. Gabriel Vazquez Works to Help Veterans  

Born in the Sunset Park section of Brooklyn, NY, Sgt. Vazquez attended St. John’s from 2006 to 2010 before leaving for the Marines, where he was deployed throughout the Middle East and in Africa. Upon returning to the University in 2017, he changed his major from Journalism to Homeland Security. He now works as an intelligence analyst for the defense contractor Booz Allen Hamilton outside of Washington, DC, and close to Arlington.

In 2020, as the country coped with the COVID-19 pandemic, he began calling members of his former Marine units, sensing they might have particular anxieties. These “buddy check-ins,” as Sgt. Vazquez called them, included connections with fellow members of St. John’s Marine Corps community and with members of Sgt. Vazquez’s former fraternity, Sigma Phi Epsilon, that served in the military.

Those conversations prompted him to resurrect the Sigma Phi Epsilon alumni chapter at St. John’s, where veterans could manage their issues together. Not all 400 members of the chapter are former members of the military, but the chapter’s commitment to mental and emotional health appeals to all. 

“Because our community suffers significantly from mental health issues, service members are taught to check in with each other,” Sgt. Vazquez said. “During the pandemic, I started seeing some of the signs that I am trained to recognize—anxiety, isolation, and depression—among our veteran population, and I thought we could do better. We all joined the family. We should not be going through things as individuals. We should be going through them together.”

The University’s support of the reborn alumni chapter led to a series of fundraisers directed by Sgt. Vazquez and supported by St. John’s, including a softball tournament that helped to fund a scholarship for St. John’s student-veterans. 

It also led to Sgt. Vazquez’s wreath-laying tradition, which he developed during the years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sgt. Vazquez rallied some of his fellow St. John’s veterans living in the vicinity of Washington, DC, and together began to decorate the graves of those who have died in service to the country.

“When I was in the Marine Corps, the leader who was the most inspirational to me was, in fact, a motivational speaker,” Sgt. Vazquez said. “He lost his battle with mental health and is buried at Arlington. So, visiting there and laying the wreaths is something that I look forward to every year.”

“The heartbeat of the veteran community is that we continue to serve, even after we served out the time on our contracts,” Sgt. Vazquez continued. “We want to honor their sacrifices.”

Sgt. Gabriel Vazquez Was Destined to Serve, Attend St. John’s

The University’s support of the military is what drew Sgt. Vazquez to St. John’s in the first place. As an eighth grader, he watched the events of Sept. 11, 2001, and knew he was destined to serve. Years later, as he neared his degree from St. John’s, his grandfather died unexpectedly. He moved to San Juan, PR, to assist his grandmother, and several months later enlisted in the Marine Corps as a Private First Class. He is the third member of his extended family to attend St. John’s.

Eight years, three military promotions, and multiple deployments later, he earned his bachelor of science degree from St. John’s.

“It was a pleasure assisting Gabriel with reaching his goals,” said Karen Morizio, Veterans Administration Certifying Official, Office of Student Financial Services. “He was determined and dedicated to his studies throughout his time at St. John’s and is still focused, diligent, and committed. Gabriel was always respectful and professional. I am so happy to see his success, because he worked so hard to achieve what he has aimed for.”

Although he has traveled the world with the Marine Corps and now lives near Washington, DC, St. John’s will always be special to Sgt. Vazquez, who regularly participates in DC-area alumni activities.

“There is something unique in how St. John’s deals with its alumni veterans,” Sgt. Vazquez added. “We genuinely feel a sense of warmth and welcome there. I naturally felt some anxiety at leaving the Marine Corps and the world I might be coming back to, but I always had my family of St. John’s veterans who were able to assist me.”