On Tuesday, March 11, Ole Miss Veterans & Military Services (VMS) had a belated Mardi Gras celebration at George Street House. Their office, located in the heart of campus, also houses the Veterans Resource Center and has an ideal front porch and yard for hosting the occasion.

Smells of savory jambalaya and festive Louisiana music were in the air as Ole Miss students from past and present who served their country got to ease back for a couple of hours and share in fellowship, along with family and members of the business community.

The “Yardi Gras” event couldn’t have happened on a more pleasant early spring evening. “We are deeply grateful to our supporters for investing in our students and making this year’s Yardi Gras a success,” said Anthony Douglas, VMS Program Coordinator in charge of creating and developing new programs for student veterans.

“At Veteran & Military Services, our mission is to support military-connected students ‘To, through, and beyond’ Ole Miss. Yardi Gras supports the ‘beyond’ focus area, by connecting LOU (Lafayette-Oxford-University) leaders and business owners with our military-connected students – emphasizing the importance of networking and securing success after graduation.”

Despite a break during Covid, the annual event continues to grow strong, since VMS moved from the third floor of Martindale Student Services Center to its current renovated central location, which helps accessibility to students.

“Ole Miss is a special place, and the unwavering support from our leadership and LOU community enables us to exceed our mission year after year,” said Douglas. “We are deeply grateful to our supporters for investing in our students and making this year’s Yardi Gras a success.”

Douglas also extended a special thanks to organizer Matt Dean for his hard work and “dedication in making this year’s event possible.”

Dean, who grew up in Louisiana, got on board with putting together the Mardi Gras garden party after a conversation with Douglas, where he offered to help make gumbo.

According to Dean, he also recognized the way he “was able to help entertain people.”

Dean credits his mother for her help, and also for lending her recipe. He came equipped with 10 gallons of gumbo, 10 gallons of jambalaya, and about 25 pounds of syrup sausage, which was grilled, alongside a heap of sliced bread to sop up good grease. 

Although Dean effortlessly manned the grill while greeting guests, he joked that the biggest challenge for putting on a Mardi Gras event is untangling the countless beads for decorating.

“The more I spend time around these guys, the more I find myself wanting to serve them,” said Dean. 

VMS provides a variety of scholarships for student veterans, as well as a number of support services to not only veterans, but active military, guard, reserve, and dependents. 

Another Yardi Gras attendee, VMS Chief of Staff Jamie King emphasized the importance of the social aspect of these events.

“It gives them a chance to have an informal job interview by just showing up and networking,” said King. “They’ve gone into the military service and done these crazy, cool things, but when you’re sitting in a classroom next to an 18-year-old who was in high school six months ago, there’s no way to really equate that life experience.”

He added, “One thing that we do really well here at the University of Mississippi and in the South is we like to tell stories. When you get to do that at this level, with people who have really great stories, a lot of times it advances their career.”

VMS will also host the Veterans Alumni Gala later this year, which usually falls on the same week as the military appreciation football game.

More information about UM Veterans & Military Services can be found at vms.olemiss.edu.