"From the Combat zone to the Classroom"

Nathan Fahlin

29 April 2012

College Comp II

“From the Combat Zone to the Classroom”

            The reality for many combat veterans when they return to college is a brutal reminder of how much it is a struggle going back to school. There are the large crowds that one has to contend with, the reality that flash backs can and will happen, and the wounds that one suffers from are brought out even more. How do I know this? Well simply put I have experienced many of these things being a combat veteran of Iraq. I was wounded on 19 Dec. 2006 when a roadside bomb hit the truck I was driving. I have been struggling with depression, anxiety, isolation, T.B.I. (traumatic brain injury), and P.T.S.D. (post-traumatic stress disorder). My hope is that colleges around the country partnering with the V.A. (Veteran’s Affairs) will be able to work together to create and develop programs to better help veterans transition from combat to college, to show the reality of what veterans face each and every day, and the reality of how much we as veterans need each other support is critical to success.

            Two major challenges that all combat veterans deal with when coming back are T.B.I. and P.T.S.D. because the reality is that many of our veterans who are coming home from war are struggling with either one or both of these. I know for first-hand the challenges of both these injuries as I’ve been struggling with both since I’ve came back from Iraq. We had just come down an off ramp and not more than a hundred meters later our vehicle was rocked by an explosion which left the three of us unconscious. All I have to do is think about the memory and I can picture everything that happened that night. I can hear the explosion, see the fireball, feel the shrapnel hit my face and wrists, and seeing myself breaking my nose over the steering wheel. I know that as a veteran it’s impossible to make it alone. Those veterans need a support group around them when they have rough days or when they don’t think they can continue. There are days as a veteran for myself I would think, “It would easier to be shot at or to go on patrol” because this life feels foreign to me as a combat veterans. We have seen the face of war, we’ve fought with men that we would no sooner call ourselves brothers as we’ve laughed, cried, bled, fought, and lived together. 

            P.T.S.D. (post-traumatic stress disorder) is something that can absolutely wreck a veteran who’s been through war and many veterans are and are not dealing with this injury. The fact about war is its all traumatic events, every fire fight, combat patrol, road side bomb, and anything else you can think of. For Air Force Veteran Cameron Baker, 26 who said this about a short video clip that was played in class, “I wasn’t in the classroom anymore,” he said later that day. “I wasn’t transported all the way back to Baghdad, but I could feel just the rush of emotions that accompanies something like that – the immediate adrenaline rush, the anxiety that comes with it, the hypervigilance, when I start trying to become very aware of my surroundings, to ensure that nothing is going to go off behind me” as qtd. in Foderaro.  Any veteran can relate because we have all had flashbacks in school or out of school. One of my most recent flashbacks was my second day at a new job all because some guy from corporate decided to plug in a grill which was already having issues. Basically what happened was I had two separate flashbacks in less than ten minutes and had to leave work

            A long with P.ST.D., there’s another invisible wound that everyone can’t see physically and that is T.B.I or traumatic brain injury which is caused by an explosion, massive blow to the head with a blunt object, or even from being shot. To this day I can’t remember how long I was unconscious, but the result of this was not only P.T.S.D. also T.B.I. (traumatic brain injury). This injury is basically caused by explosions, severe vehicle accidents, and major blows to the head. There are two types of T.B.I to be correct. One which is called mild T.B.I. and severe T.B.I. both cause issues within the servicemen and women who’ve experienced them. Severe T.B.I. is typically when the person is unconscious for more than thirty minutes while mild T.B.I. is everything less than thirty minutes of unconsciousness. I struggle with various symptoms of T.B.I. every day that I’m here on this earth. It’s just a reality that I’ve come to accept.       

There are veterans attending college where, but the problem is there isn’t a program in place help make the transition smoother for the veterans. “To a veteran struggling to transition to college life, he says, that connection could be the difference between graduating and dropping out” (Beuter). This is exactly the issue that many veterans face and it’s the same issue I faced until I started getting connected with other veterans. .  “Everyone here knows I’m messed up in the head.” Mr. Baker said as one veteran after another entered the study lounge, dispensing soulful handshakes. “I can talk about it and they’re not going to ask me stupid, uniformed questions, and they’re not going to bring it up the next day. And that’s very important” as qtd. in Foderaro. These were people who understand me better than the average college population along with the faculty as well. As I returned to college in the fall of 2008 little did I know what challenges were laid before me and as I started the process again I realized how much just sitting in class was a struggle for me. I struggle working in groups with students younger then I who had no clue how to talk to me and professors who would spout off about their agenda in class showing where they lay so to speak. I believe it was fall of 2009 or 2010 when Lake Superior College received the Veteran’s Center and that really helped to make connections which allowed not just me, but other veterans as well to develop support.  The facts are simple; we need to implement a transition program for the veterans who are returning to college and it needs to happen quick. I say this with urgency because as more veterans return to college there’s always potential for conflicts to arise between the veteran and non-veteran population.

Programs are few and far between to help with the transition from the battleground to the classroom. There are two actual programs in place in parts of the country. One that if it gets implemented  across the nation would be very helpful to the veteran and non-veteran community. The program “Combat2College: Facilitating College Success for Combat Veterans” was a collaboration of  Montgomery College, Rockville Campus, National Rehabilitation Hospital, Washington, DC, National Center for PTSD, Palo Alto, CA, and Veterans Administration Medical Center, Washington DC. This programed was developed in mind with respect and appreciation, removal of stigma, inclusiveness, and wellness. After reading through the program document myself I don’t see many reasons why this wouldn’t work on larger community campuses, universities, or even on Lake Superior College itself. The program would have to be promoted to the veteran population to make it effective would be the key because veterans tend to be a little bit of isolationists unless they need help.

            “Adopt A College” is a program that which is currently operating at seven  Los Angeles-area community colleges. The Soldiers Project plans to expand the program to four more colleges three of which are in the Los Angeles area with one in Sacramento. The reality is this is just a drop in the bucket and what is needed is a federally implemented program. “What’s needed is a battle plan involving multiple fronts. State and federal budgets must take into account the mental health needs of returning soldiers, in school or out. This includes funding nonprofits who work complements the services offered by the VA, presenting options to the many veterans who are reluctant to access DVA services”(Broder).

            “Berkeley College Launches Education Partnership Program for Disabled Combat Veterans” reads the articles title. This is the kind of initiative which is needed to help the nation’s veterans. “This partnership is designed specifically to meet the academic and career goals of disabled combat veteran. The CVET program, administered by the Berkeley College Office of Military and Veterans Affairs, staffed by retired and current members of the military who are fully aware of the unique situation of disabled combat veterans returning home from duty”(Targeted News Service). With this kind of program you would be able to meet the needs of veterans who may have lost a limb, suffering from severe P.T.S.D. or T.B.I. A soldier who I was deployed with lost part of his right arm below the elbow and has only three working fingers on his left. How he got through college is beyond most people. When I saw him this year I could see the determination in his face that has not faded since the day I first met. The reality is my buddy still does more than most people with only a partial left hand and a hook for a right.  

            “The most recent date from the Department of Veteran Affairs show more than 5,000 Hoosier veterans were using their post-9/11 GI Bill benefits in 2010. University Military Student Services coordinator Jo Vaughn says she expects that number to continue rising, and her office is growing accordingly.”(Beuter). This is just one college with veterans using the GI Bill benefits and the truth is there is many more returning to college. For as long as I’ve been at Lake Superior College I have noticed more and more returning veterans coming back to college. “Now Wills runs a similar center as Kennesaw State University and provides a guiding hand for other veterans trying to earn a degree. The center is one of a dozen in the University System of Georgia as colleges try to meet the needs of more than 5,600 students who are veterans, reservists and on active duty.”

            My hope at the start of this paper was to highlight some key issues along with a general overview of what is happening in the veteran community. How many veterans are actually returning to college. How they need our support of not just fellow veterans, but the support of a nation who appreciates their service along with the price they’ve paid. I know first-hand the cost of war and what it takes to serve this country. There are programs out there which are working and we need to seriously take a look at putting these programs in place where large number of veterans is returning to college. The odds are stacked against them, they need our support. Think about what we as country can do for them. It is simple to advocate for them even if you don’t believe in the wars they fought in, fight for them. Help them to see that there are people who actually care about them and their needs.

            The programs which are out there are good start, but there needs to be a plan to make these men and women successful because I believe we as a country would be a wasting a resource by not helping our veterans which means putting a program like “Combat to College” in place to help our veterans succeed in college when they return. They are not only facing their injuries, but a nation that doesn’t know how to interact with them which can turn them into isolationists. 

Works Cited:

"Berkeley College Launches Education Partnership Program for Disabled Combat Veterans." Targeted News Service: n/a.ProQuest Newsstand. Jun 23 2010. Web. 22 Apr. 2012 .

Bleiberg, J., G. Leskin, R. Sachs, S. Pollack, S. Haddad, M. Reinhard, J. Gough, and L CDR           Miller, L. HM1 Becker ed.Combat2College: Facilitating College Success for Combat Veterans. 2008. 1-5. Print.

      Brodth, Dr. Judith. "Combat Veterans Returning -- To College -- But Can They Succeed? ." California Progress Report. 03 Mar 2011: 1. Web. 22 Apr. 2012. <http://www.californiaprogressreport.com/site/combat-veterans-returning-college-can-they-succeed>.

Foderlaro, Lisa W. "From Battlefield to Ivy League, on the G.I. Bill." New York Times [New York] 08 Jan 2010, New York Edition A1. Print.

Hughes, Trevor. "Vets Go from Combat to Campus." USA TODAY: A.3. ProQuest Newsstand; USA Today. Apr 12 2011. Web. 11 May 2012 .

Diamond, Laura. "HIGHER EDUCATION: Helping Hand from Combat to College: Campus Programs Ease Transition for Veterans. Special Support, Guidance make Soldiers Feel Less Alienated." The Atlanta Journal - Constitution: B.1.ProQuest Newsstand. Jul 05 2011. Web. 11 May 2012 .

Foderlaro, Lisa W. "From Battlefield to Ivy League, on the G.I. Bill." New York Times [New York] 08 Jan 2010, New York Edition A1. Print Marklein, Mary Beth. "The rocky road from Combat to College." USA Today [McLean,] 27 Dec 2007, weekend ed. D1. Print.

KRAVEC-KELLY, Tiffany, Jo Vaughan, and Tim Leonard. Telephone Interview. 10 April 2012.

Marklein, Mary Beth. "The rocky road from Combat to College." USA Today [McLean,] 27 Dec 2007, weekend ed. D1. Print.

Sargent Jr., Wesley M. "Helping Veterans into Academic Life through the Creation of University." Diss. University of West Georgia, 2009. Print