Anna Jones is glad she has a space to take a break at MSU-Meridian. 

“I am excited about it, because not only am I a full-time student, I’m a mom,” said Jones, a retired Navy chief petty officer. “So it gives me a place to study, to start homework and complete homework.” 

Jones is one of many service members who will use the new G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery Center for America’s Veterans Lounge on the College Park campus at MSU-Meridian.

The lounge, which features comfy couches, a work station with a computer and printer, a  microwave and coffee maker, was unveiled during a ribbon cutting Tuesday morning.

A mural representing different aspects of military service covers the wall of the lounge, which will be open to student veterans and military family members enrolled at MSU-Meridian. The center will serve about 100 students who attend the school. 

Retired U.S. Army General Lt. Col Brian Locke, who leads The Montgomery Center on MSU’s Starkville campus, said it took about eight months to bring the lounge to MSU-Meridian, after seeing success with a similar space in Starkville. 

He said the lounge is ideal for service members studying at MSU-Meridian because many have busy schedules, working full-time and taking care of their families. 

“This will be a space they will call their own,” Locke said.

Locke said the center is one way to honor the legacy of Montgomery, an MSU alumnus who died in 2006. The Meridian native, World War II veteran and long-serving U.S. representative, was instrumental in the passage of the Montgomery G.I. Bill, which helped many service members go to college. 

“His life and legacy were dedicated to serving veterans,” Locke said.

Yolanda Porter, a social work major, took a break in the lounge before a class Tuesday afternoon. Even though she’s graduating in May, she plans to use the lounge.  

“I think it’s going to be pretty beneficial,” Porter said.

Jones, an interdisciplinary studies major, hopes the lounge will help her build friendships with others who have served the United States. She often sees other service members on campus, but with different class schedules, it’s difficult for them to socialize. 

“Not all of us have the same classes, so it’s creating that comradery,” she said.