Service Members’ Transition to Community College Essay

Hundreds of thousands of United States veterans are not able to leave the horrors of war on the battlefield (“Forever at War: Veterans Everyday Battles with PTSD” 1). Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the reason why these courageous military service members cannot live a normal life when they are discharged. One out of every five military service members on combat tours—about 300,000 so far—return home with symptoms of PTSD or major depression. According to the Rand Study, almost half of these cases go untreated because of the disgrace that the military and civil society attach to mental disorders (McGirk 1). The general population of the world has to admit that they have had a nightmare before. Imagine not being able to sleep one

Over the last decade, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have drastically increased the need for effective mental health services and treatment for U.S. veterans and service members, especially those suffering from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Nearly 1.5 million American service members have been deployed in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) since the attack on the Twin Towers in September 2001 (Price, Gros, Strachan, Ruggiero, & Acierno, 2013). Approximately 25% of soldiers and wounded warriors returning home from OEF/OIF present with mental illness due to combat-related violence and other trauma exposure (Steinberg & Eisner, 2015). According to Price and colleagues (2013), OEF/OIF soldiers and veterans are at greater risk for developing mental illness compared to others who served in past military operations.

When I first started to research about how the American society helps discharged soldiers, I first wanted to know what type of help society offer to them. The article “10 Organizations that Help Veterans Transition to Civilian Life” published by Vista College helped me view a plethora of organizations that offer help to veterans. The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) organization helps “connect veterans to one another and educate them on,” issues and benefits they could get when transitioning

When considering the education levels of veterans, the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs reports that female veterans are more likely to have a college education than males. The study shows that around 43.3% of female veterans have had some college experience while only 36.5% male veterans have had been exposed to a college education. When compared, female veterans are also more likely to have a bachelor’s degree and an advanced degree than men veterans (bachelor’s: 20.8% female to 15.9% male; advanced degree: 13.8% female to 10.7% male).

In actuality, veterans continue to face barriers on their process for resocialization. Despite the effort that society puts in to ease such transition veterans find difficulty adapting to modern society due to a warfare identity. The military trains its veterans with the purpose to make them stronger in personality as well as to teach them how to control their emotions. Veterans are force to assimilate the military culture by detaching from their very own self-identity prior to the military. The identity that has been created by the military is also responsible for the negative stigma that our veterans’ currently suffer in today’s society. They are often portray as, murderous and violent. These traits are not strictly related to combat, but

After years of admirable service, many veterans choose to make the transition back to civilian life. During their enlistments, they’ve learned invaluable skills that are highly sought after by employers. For these individuals, the experience was a powerful and empowering experience, but it’s time for a new chapter in their lives. Each year, more than a million veterans take advantage of resources that are provided specifically for current and former military personnel. Just as there are many reasons why these men and women decide to go back to school, there are many resources to aid veterans in the process.

Military Pathway (2013) concluded “Military life, especially the stress of deployments or mobilizations, can present challenges to service members and their families that are both unique and difficult”. Hence, it is not surprising that soldiers returning from a stressful war environment often suffer from a psychological condition called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. This paper provides a historical perspective of PTSD affecting soldiers, and how this illness has often been ignored. In addition, the this paper examines the cause and diagnosis of the illness, the changes of functional strengths and limitations, the overall effects this disease may have on soldiers and their families, with a conclusion of

Many individuals are aware that veterans suffer high unemployment rates compared to members of the general population. However, it is important to consider that their unemployment status is closely related to their status as individuals who are formerly involved in war. Individuals who experience trauma and who are involved in physical fighting are likely to develop physical and mental disorders. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the impact on treatment for interventions for post-war disorders and the employment status of veterans. The primary questions that will be explored in this literature review is “What are the unemployment rates for veterans who have not received treatment interventions for post-war disorders?”

Some military veterans can struggle with returning to civilian life after leaving the military. Both posttraumatic stress disorder and survivor’s guilt can make it harder for the veteran to return back into a civilian way of life. The facts indicate that due to the effects on soldiers and military veterans from them being in war or active

There is a growing concern for the rising mental health and cognitive impairments many service members are developing, particularly post-deployment. Although it is recognized as a significant challenge, the military and Veterans

The intended purpose of this study was to describe and understand the identity development of student veterans as they transitioned from active duty service members to students at a higher educational institution. This study was “phenomenological” in nature and focused on seven individual, veteran, full time students completing their first undergraduate degree at CU Denver. Despite the increased number of student veterans on campus, there remains a continued lack of understanding regarding this section of the student population at colleges across the United States and as I learned, here at CU Denver as well. It is important that campus administrators have a solid understanding of student veterans’ needs and experiences in order to better assist them while they are here at CU Denver. In my study I concentrated on the actual experiences of seven student veterans attending college full time. This method was chosen because of its in-depth interview nature and the focus on participants’ lived experiences and worldviews. Veterans have detailed life experiences that are often not understood by non-veterans so in explaining some of my findings we civilians could have problems relating or understanding. Because of the time limitations involved in this project, interviewing a larger number of participants was not feasible, especially considering the attention to detail required for personal, one-on-one discussions. Furthermore, since the study focused on student veteran identity

Jakupcak et al. used a standardized protocol approved by both the University of Washington State and the VA to screen the multiple tours Iraq and Afghanistan combat veterans who turned to the Washington State division of the VA during the time period of May 2004 to June 2005 (Jackupcak et al, 2007, p. 947). The subjects who participated in the study were 97% male and over 70% white, and an average age of about 33 years (Jackupcak et al, 2007, p. 947). The average number of years of education was close to 14, indicating mostly enlisted members whom completed some college at most (Jackupcak et al, 2007, p. 947). The sampling also indicated that about half the subjects were married, the other half were either single or divorced (Jackupcak et al, 2007, p. 947). Income levels suggest that 2/3 of participants are Non-Commissioned Officers or above (Jackupcak et al, 2007, p. 947). Approximately 80% of participants are Army or Army National guardsman (Jackupcak et al, 2007, p. 947).

Despite war experiences, many combat veterans survive challenges and have new experiences that yield benefits, growth, and transformation (Iraq War Clinician Guide). Military demands and participation also traumatize veterans in the most damaging ways that affect their mental health and overall quality of life (Iraq War Clinician Guide). Furthermore, individuals exposed to combat veterans' trauma, such as family members and loved ones, may develop traumatic reactions, which post profound challenges related to traumatic events of the direct victim (Berger, 2015).

The goal of this program will be to develop a support center for student veterans that will enhance the veteran’s cognitive development for achieving success in postsecondary education by coordinating services to address their academic, financial, physical, and social needs. Caffarella and Daffron (2013) stress the importance of reasons for the planning of transfer of learning, the following will show how the veteran’s center developed the program to fulfill the reasons/needs for the center and program (p.215). The first reason being the ad hoc organization and the veteran students will ask for learning outcomes that apply practical knowledge to make a difference in the veteran’s efforts to balance the many personal, professional, and academic responsibilities in their lives. The veteran’s center and program provide this practical knowledge as shown in Table 1. The second reason the center and program will be developed is to help the veterans develop solutions that will create a balanced approach to the responsibilities in their lives. The transfer of learning plan will be constructed to allow the veteran students to apply their learning to balance the difficult demands of their lives as previously stated (Caffarella & Daffron, 2013, p. 215). Finally, the transfer of learning plan will assist the veterans to transfer their learning to reflect the changes they themselves need to make to translate the knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSAs) (See Appendix

T. Stecker, J. Fortney, F. Hamilton, and I. Ajzen, 2007, address that mental health symptoms have the likelihood to increase within post deployment for military veterans, especially for the ones who have seen combat. An estimated quarter of recent war veterans who are currently receiving care in the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) Health Care System have reported mental health problems. Soldiers who have served in Iraq come home suffering from depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The Statistics of Iraq soldiers meeting the criteria for depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is greater than the soldiers who served in Afghanistan. The mental health symptom rates for soldiers who served in Iraq were as high as 20% for PTSD, 18% for anxiety, and 15% for depression.