In a recent GI Jobs magazine survey, of the 250,000-400,000 veterans who are separating from the military annually, at least 25% of them will be in college within two years. Many of those veterans have served in at least one combat tour. As more combat veterans return from war, many of them will be taking advantage of their GI Bill benefits. As the transition from combat to civilian life kicks in, so do the effects of the war wounds such as post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Attending college and managing PTSD can be quite challenging. Here are three stories of Virginia combat veterans dealing with the stress of college and how they manage their PTSD.
Barry Cupid is a combat veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). In 2003-2004, Barry was an Artilleryman conducting route clearance missions searching for IED’s, performing foot patrols looking for of enemy insurgents, and a gunner on convoy escort operations. After leaving the USMC, Barry decided to attend college at Germanna Community College (GCC) in Fredericksburg in pursuit of a Network Security Degree. Shortly after the separating from the Marines, Barry started to feel the effects of PTSD. Anger, “rage moments”, sleepless nights, and feeling like he did not “fit in” were bothersome. Managing his household, attending college, and dealing with his PTSD was getting to be too much for him to handle. One afternoon, while he was strolling through the hallways of Germanna, he stopped by the military information board and saw a posting for
VWWP support groups. Barry states that “the
VWWP support groups have helped me to vent frustrations, it helps me clear my mind for both college studies and home life”. Barry was one of the first combat veterans that attended the
VWWP support groups held in Germanna. Diane Frausto continues to strive to make Germanna a “military friendly” college. Diane serves as the schools veteran affairs education representative and provides support for over 300 veterans per semester. Germanna holds an annual military appreciation week and acknowledges all GCC student veterans on Veterans Day. Barry states that the “
VWWP support groups have been a godsend”. Thanks to a military friendly college, Barry continues to strive for his degree at Germanna. Barry resides with his family in King George, Virginia.
Joel “Gunny” Carrillo is a combat veteran of OIF. After he retired from the Marines, Joel decided to work in California. It was not too long after until Joel started to go through changes in his life and started to have symptoms of PTSD. He was feeling isolated, depressed, and suffering from anxiety attacks. After seeking help from the VA in California, Joel decided that a new start and environment would be helpful, so
he moved to Fredericksburg, Virginia. Joel enrolled in college in 2009 at the University of Mary Washington (UMW) in Fredericksburg in pursuit of a Spanish Literature Degree. Dealing with his inability to concentrate, the failure to interact with other non-veteran students, and the inability to cope with the stress was a bit too much for his first semester. Joel learned about the VWWP through an information conference on the UMW campus. He started attending the local
VWWP support groups shortly after. Through the local support group, Joel learned about a program that helps student veterans with disabilities. The Veterans Education and Transition Supports in College Program (VETS) is a Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) sponsored program that assists Virginia student veterans with TBI, PTSD, or spinal cord injuries. Some of the services that the VETS program offers are educational and career planning, development of learning strategies, and coordination of on and off campus resources. Joel states “the VETS program was a life changer for me at UMW. Between attending the VWWP support groups and the VETS program interaction, my school work and campus life has been great”. Christine Groah, from the VETS in College Program states “some of the service members transitioning from the military to college frequently report feeling frustrated, stressed, and lacking knowledge of college and veteran resources”. Since Joel’s enrollment in the VETS Program, he is proud to report 3 A’s, 2 B’s and has made the "Deans list"on his latest semester. Joel is an active member of the
VWWP support group in Fredericksburg. Joel also enjoys writing poems to help him express his feelings and is currently working on a book that highlights the challenges of veterans returning from war. After completion of his Bachelor’
s Degree, Joel wants pursuit a Master’s Degree in Psychology to assist combat veterans.
Sarah Bonner is a combat veteran who served in LSA Anaconda, outside of Balad, Iraq in 2006. After leaving the United States Air Force in 2006, she decided to work her dream job with the Disabled American Veterans (DAV). After getting laid off in 2010, she decided to attend college at Virginia Western Community College (VWCC) in pursuit of degree in human services/social work. She choose that curriculum to help combat veterans with disabilities. Understanding veterans with disabilities is very familiar with her due to the fact that she deals with her PTSD daily. Going to school and dealing with her PTSD has been a challenge. Getting involved with veteran activities such as the VWCC Armed Forces Club, becoming a Wounded Warrior Project Alumni, and working part time with the Military Family Support Center has helped tremendously. Feelings of being alone on campus, not having support groups, and dealing with students who are anti-military are some of the issues that Sarah has experienced or observed. Since her involvement with veteran’s organizations, her PTSD and school studies have been manageable. “Being able to vent some of my frustrations in life with
VWWP peer support and interactions with the WW Project Connect site has enabled me to really keep my stress under control”. Sarah currently resides in Roanoke, Virginia.
Every combat veteran’s struggles in college are unique. Talking about the combat stress and interactions with other veterans seem to be things that can help. Take advantage of veteran’s organizations in your area of Virginia, such as the Student Veterans Association on your campus. The
VWWP peer support groups are offered throughout the state as well.
Sarah Bonner at the White House during the WWP Soldier Ride in DC
http://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/video/2011/05/04/wounded-warrior-project-s-soldier-ride
The V.E.T.S in College Program
http://www.worksupport.com/projects/project.cfm/37