#uncvetservices

Last week, UNC hosted the first annual Veterans Week on the main campus. IT could not have been more successful and many were made aware of our military and veterans on campus. However, it could not have been accomplished without the long hours sacrificed by our staff and volunteers. For that we send out a huge Bravo Zulu.

I knew that UNC was a supportive campus for our military members. Yet, I did not know how supportive. I was astounded by the number of faculty and staff that came out braving the sub-freezing temperatures to attend numerous events, like the Vet Zone training and even the Military Challenge (an obstacle 1.5 mile obstacle course created to mimic bootcamp). On behalf of our military and veteran population on campus I want to extend a huge Thank You.

For those who missed out, don't worry. This will be an annual affair. You will get your chance! 

Ever since the Principles of Excellence came out four years ago, higher education institutions have been working towards being more welcoming to military students. The University of Northern Colorado, in its foresight, created the Veterans Services office three years earlier, in 2009, specifically to meet the needs of this student population. 

Much has changed since the inception of Veterans Services here on campus. UNC Veterans Services has increased its military/veteran student population and offers many programs to support them while here on campus. The leadership of UNC consistently shows their support for the military/veteran students on campus by adopting new programs and initiatives to help these students not just survive, but strive in their pursuit of a degree. 

That is why I am excited to announce that UNC has created military/veteran housing and dining options that will not exceed the 2014-15 Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) for the Post 9/11 GI Bill. Along with this initiative, UNC has also dedicated Decker Hall to be a military/veteran student learning community. This will allow military/veteran students to be around like minded students, yet still integrate into the greater student population to grow and gain knowledge while earning their degree. 

Memorial Day tends to be a bittersweet weekend for some. Granted, it is often the gateway to summer including BBQ, pool parties, boats on the lake, or working in your very own backyard. 

However, it also serves as another entry point. This weekend can be a time to reflect on what many men and women gave for the freedom that we enjoy and do so by celebrating by the pool, lake, or backyard.

This Memorial Day, I ask that you enjoy yourself. Have fun with your family and friends. Get that first sunburn of the season and soak up that extra day off of work.

I also ask that you take a moment to remember those brave souls that gave their life for ours. Attend a local memorial ceremony. Bring the kids. Teach them to look into the eyes of the WWII and Vietnam veterans and thank them for their service with a handshake and a smile. Start a conversation with an Iraqi/Afghanistan War veteran or active duty service member. Let them know that they are not alone. I promise you, they will appreciate it.

 If you would like more information on Memorial Day or its history, check out this Time Magazine article from 2009. Pretty cool stuff. That is all. Carry On!

The end of the school year is bittersweet. We celebrate with those receiving their degrees and certificates, and yet mourn the loss of a relationship that was created during their time here at UNC. As I reflect on the military students that are graduating this month, I realize how quickly time passes. That can be said for one of the military students, and a friend, who is graduating in a few days. This is his story put together by Mike Peters for our alumni magazine, Northern Vision. I hope you find it as inspiring as I did. Here’s to you, Nom, and all of those walking across the stage this month. Congrats. You deserved it.

 His voice is quiet. Soft, as he talks about it. He’s a former U.S. Marine, a gunner with a 50-caliber machine gun perched atop a Humvee in Iraq. A dangerous, frightening job. A world away from that experience, Nom graduated this spring from UNC with a 3.41 GPA in Criminal Justice. Someday, he wants to be a federal agent for his country.

Nom (a shortened version of his first name) was born in Laos, where his parents still carried the memories of a long, devastating war. When he was 5 years old, he and his family moved to America to start a new life. He grew up on Fresno, Calif., graduated from high school there, and enlisted in the Marines. A year later, at age 19, Nom found himself atop the Humvee patrolling the streets of Ramadi, Iraq.

Today, six years after joining the Marines and fighting in Iraq, Nom reflects on his service, recalling the anguish in losing a best friend, roommate and “other buddies” who didn’t return. He hesitates to go into detail about how those friends died, or how he almost lost his life.

“A unit in Ramadi was ambushed, and we went to reinforce them. …there were snipers on rooftops shooting at us. … rockets, grenades. … we wanted to get the unit out safely. … We didn’t get all of them.”

Coming home unharmed carried a burden. “I have both my arms and both my legs, and I’m also one of those Marines who came home alive,” Nom says. “Sometimes, I regret that I’m all right, when there were so many others who lost so much.”

Understandably, he’s guarded about sharing his military experience on campus — with the exception of UNC’s Veterans Services Office where he can talk over a cup of coffee with fellow veterans enrolled at UNC who’ve become his good friends.

“I don’t talk openly about being a Marine in Iraq because I don’t know how people will react. But my professors here were tremendous. Once they learned of my status, they were extremely helpful.”

Nom wants to complete a master’s degree in Criminal Justice at UNC, but right now, the finances are difficult. His G.I. Bill runs out with graduation, and he’ll have to find a way to get the money to live on. “Mostly, I already eat Ramen noodles more than anything else,” he jokes.

But with the background and experience Nom already has, there’s no doubt that someday, he’ll be a federal agent in the country that he loves so much.

                                            -Mike Peters, Northern Vision May 2014

Tis the season... for graduation. Campuses around the country will be holding their ceremonies, ushering a mass of young professionals into the workforce. Many of these graduates will be walking across that stage with regalia from honors societies and official student organizations. These ceremonial pieces are more than just bragging rights, they prove that they belong to a select group of individuals. For UNC, our Veteran and military students are no exception.

I enjoy, nay, love the honor of issuing out our Veteran stoles to our Veteran and military students. This is my chance to take part in their story and meet them face to face and to have the privilege of listening to their journey of triumphs and heartaches, successes and failures. This is the time that I get to honor their achievements and observe their own realization that they are not done. They still have greatness within themselves. This is what makes my job worth every ounce of blood, sweat, and tear. 

So, as you are sitting there this graduation season on those comfortable bleachers and folding chairs, I ask you to keep an eye out and cheer for all of the students wearing their awards. Even if they are not your student, give them some recognition. They deserve it. However, when you catch a glimpse of that student walking across with a United States Veteran stole around their neck, I request that you please stand up and cheer like your life depended on it, for they may have offered their life for yours. Thank you.

Many are unaware that if you are utilizing your VA benefits while going to school, you are eligible for tutoring services. Cool, right? So, I hear ya, "There has to be a catch?" Yes... and no. Here are the eligibility requirements:

The student must be in a postsecondary program half time or more. For the Post-9/11 GI Bill, rate of pursuit must be at least 50 percent.

The student must have a deficiency in a course that is part of his or her approved program.

The student must be enrolled in the course during the quarter, semester, or term in which the tutoring is received for the course. Tutoring may not occur between quarters or semesters.

**Note that this benefit is not available under REAP.

"A 'Veteran,' - whether Active Duty, discharged, retired, Guard, or Reserve - is someone who, at one point in their life wrote a blank check made payable to 'The United States of America' for an amount 'up to, and including their life.'" 

I often come across young men and women on campus who are not familiar with the services that we provide for them. Occasionally, it is due to the simple fact that they never knew we existed. As much as this pains me to hear this, I understand. It is hard for us to reach every service members or veterans if they are not utilizing their VA benefits.

On the other hand, I frequently hear from many that they "are not a Veteran" and do not believe our services are for them. This kills me. As the quote states, any "Active Duty, retired, Guard, or Reserve" is considered a Veteran. You laid your life on the line, no matter how great or small, to defend the people and values of this great country.

This was an issue for me as I discharged from the Navy. I would often get the question, "Are you a Veteran?" as to which I would answer, "No." I did not feel as though I was worthy enough to consider myself in that great population. I was under the understanding that a Veteran is one who served in combat, who gave their all, not just "serving in the military." I could not have been more wrong.

This is more common than not. It is my belief that many Veterans are humble and do not believe that they are "as great" as those "Veterans" who have gone before us. Make no mistake, YOU are a Veteran. YOU are the one who decided that your life is worth giving for the greater good.

So, If you are a current service member, honorably discharged, or retired, our services are for you. We also welcome dependents and spouses of these fine people because of your sacrifice. Today I can state that I am proud, and humbled, to consider myself a Veteran when surrounded by great men and women who have accomplished far greater than I. And I urge you to be as well.