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| Troops return home to reunite with family. Photo by: Hungeree.com |
One of the choices veterans face after returning home from the battlefield is to attend school and get a higher education.
Veteran’s lives change after serving in the military. While trying to return to their daily routines and reunite with friends and family, they still face many difficulties, especially when it is adjusting to school.
Tess Banko, former Marine, felt scared when she began college. She learned quickly what the military expected of her and developed routines, but school was different.
“By comparison, college life was unpredictable and unnerving. Each professor had different expectations that sometimes changed over the course of a semester” (9).
Parker Ormsby decided to join the Army after high school. He is now attending his first semester at Texas State. In the beginning, Ormsby had difficult experiences because of the mental state he was in.
“Adjusting is easy, it’s just a motivation thing to me,” said Ormsby. “For me, I did not fit in well at all with people at school.”
It is difficult for him to find common topics to discuss with other students because of their age differences. He noticed people grow and mature quicker in the military. Nothing bothers him anymore because he has been in the worst situations from serving in the Army. When he hears students complain in class over small issues, he knows they will never understand what he went through.
Robert B. Ellen retired from the Air Force in 2011 after 20 years of service. Currently studying Computer Science at Texas State, he feels like going to college was the right choice.
“I would have been an idiot if I wouldn’t have gone to college,” said Ellen. “I think what kept me in line was the military structure, because I listed straight out of college.”
Ellen noticed different teaching styles from what he learned in the military and at school. In the military he was taught information in order, but in school, teachers jump to different areas of study. This change has been stressful to him.
“I have to try to knock out a paper around one to two in the morning and I’m not used to that,” said Ellen.
He sets time aside from homework so he can sleep. He drinks coffee to stay awake. Since he lives an hour away from campus, he does not have extra time for school activities. Instead, he goes to church and spends time with his family.
“In the military, you learn to adapt, overcome and improve whatever needs to be done.”
Michael Flinn, former member of the Marine Corps, works, attends school full-time and is a father.
“For me going back to school is both a blessing and a curse,” said Flinn.
After serving in 2005, Flinn discovered he had Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. He gets paranoid in large classrooms with more than 300 students. In smaller classes, he can relax.
Murel Miller, veterans certifying assistant, deals with students with PTSD daily.
“I recognize symptoms and I’ve got some students that I’ll do some things for those I don’t do for others. We make sure we don’t push the limits. You try to make their lives the best you can.”
Flinn missed the structure of school because it is laid out black and white. After serving, he knew exactly what he wanted to study in college.
“For us, we were in the military so it’s a completely different situation,” said Flinn. “We know now what we want to do unlike other college students. It’s a huge disconnection.”
Although he likes to stay invisible during class, he plays paintball with two veterans in his class in his free time.
Veterans believe dealing with difficulties in school is worth it because they obtain a higher education in the end.
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