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Veterans at USF transition to life after war

Photo by Marguerite Faucher

Taking pride in his school wasn't a hard transition for Joseph Elrod who served from 1998 to 2006 as a Marine before returning to school at the University of South Florida. He is pictured here with fellow Marine Corps veteran and student Mitch Milillo (behind).

Shelley Rossetter & Heather Gordon

Special to TBO

Published: October 1, 2009

Updated: 10/16/2009 02:38 pm

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From Combat to the Classroom

TAMPA - Give Joseph Elrod a blank map of the world and he can easily label the countries associated with the war on terrorism.

Not just because he is a geography major, but because he has been there.

Elrod, a 30-year-old Marine Corps veteran, enrolled at the University of South Florida this fall after earning an associate's degree at Hillsborough Community College this summer.

He served in the Marines from 1998 to 2006 — eight years, three months and 10 days to be exact, he said. Iraq and Afghanistan were among his deployments.

Making the transition from the military to life at USF, which has one of the largest populations of veterans at U.S. public universities with more than 900 enrolled, has proved challenging for some.

"It was like throwing on the brakes, really," Elrod said. "I went from being in charge of 20 to 25 people to really just being in charge of myself."

As part of a project in one of his first classes at HCC, Elrod asked his classmates to label Iraq and Afghanistan on a blank map. Only three of 25 could.

"It was kind of frustrating and it helps you realize that most people here live in a bubble, and they don't really want to look outside the bubble unless it directly involves them," he said.

Because of his Marine background, Elrod said he feels most comfortable in leadership positions, in and out of the classroom.

"Every project that I do, I always end up being the leader," he said. "It just comes natural now after being a sergeant in the Marine Corps. And a lot of times with projects, nobody wants to stand up and be a leader, so I am usually that person."

He seems to be fitting in fine with his classmates, said his European geography professor, Glen Anderson.

'Kind of like freedom'

"In the military you have to ask for permission to do anything, and this feels kind of like freedom," said Corey Wilson, a Navy veteran and sophomore majoring in chemistry at USF. This is his first semester back at school since leaving the military this summer.

Wilson served as a nuclear machinist on the USS Memphis, a submarine stationed in Connecticut, for seven years. The Memphis was deployed on several covert operations throughout the world.

Wilson, 26, finds he has spare time now, something he never had in the military.

The time spent on school and organizations — the Student Veterans Association, Student Government and the Transfer Student Association — is a big difference from the more than120 hours per week he used to work when the Memphis was stationed at the shipyard.

"There were days when I didn't get off work until midnight and I had to be back at work at 5 in the morning," Wilson said.

Colleen Krepstekies, 37, found the transition to civilian life difficult after 11 years of service. Out of the Army since 2006, she is a graduate student in journalism and draws from her military training when she teaches a Mass Communications and Society class.

"Quite frankly, sometimes I feel like how I run the class might be a little bit militaristic. I do a bit of yelling just to kind of get them to be quiet," Krepstekies said.

Krepstekies' military background helps keep the class under control, her students said.

"I think it adds a certain level of respect." said Amanda Volpi, a 21-year-old psychology major. "She commands the classroom, not in an intimidating way but in a functional way."

But the transition from a transportation officer in Iraq to graduate student has its challenges.

"When you come out in the civilian world, everyone has different backgrounds, and maybe they've lived there their whole lives and it's just kind of hard to break into those circles," she said.

For Jason Ellis, the transition from military life to life as a student is even more complicated.

Ellis, 34, served in the Air Force from 1993 to 2003, when he was medically discharged. While in Iraq, he suffered a traumatic brain injury and tore cartilage in both knees, among other injuries.

Ellis, who once played basketball for Oklahoma State University, walks with a cane and has migraines.

"It affected me initially because I was unable to do some of the activities that I had been used to before," he said. "I am still dealing with that."

At USF, Ellis is in his last semester, working toward a bachelor's degree in criminology. He favors online classes because they are more flexible and allow him to take care of his medical needs without missing class.

When Ellis has to attend a class on campus, he works with professors to ensure his needs are met through USF disability services.

"The transition was difficult because, for me, being injured overseas and then coming home and having to deal with my injuries, my focus was more so in reference to my physical health and my mental health as well," Ellis said.

GI Bill smooths transition

The federal financial support the veterans receive helps ease the economic burden of going to school.

More than 900 veterans attending USF are certified for VA benefits. Many are covered under the Post -9/11 GI Bill, which provides education benefits for those on active duty on or after Sept. 11, 2001.

USF has one of the ten largest populations of veterans at public universities in the country, said Meredith Nickles, assistant director of student affairs and veterans services at USF.

Michael Johnson, a student adviser at the USF Veteran Services office, said most veterans attending the university receive about $1,500 a month to cover housing and other expenses.

That's particularly helpful for Elrod, who is married and has a 9-month-old son. Most veterans are thankful for the opportunities the new GI bill is providing, he said.

Finding support on campus

On campus, veterans can turn to one another for support in meeting the challenges of day-to-day life.

Every Tuesday evening, the USF Student Veterans Association meets to talk about issues important to them.

"The club helps them find other veterans to relate to their experiences, military and post-military," said Megan Sisson, president and founder of the group and the daughter of a Vietnam veteran. "They usually have a hard time relating to students here because they're younger, generally, and don't realize what the veterans went through over there. The club helps to create a community for them."

Sisson, who is not a veteran, founded the group in December after realizing there was a need.

"I grew up with a lot of bad stories of how my dad was treated once he came back (from service), and I wanted to prevent that from happening to other veterans," she said.

Groups dedicated to helping veterans adjust to the life they lived before the war are an important part of the transition, which can take years.

"I've been just trying to manage home life and being out of the military, just adjusting to that, because even though I have been out about six years, I am still making the adjustment," Ellis said.

POST-9/11 GI BILL

What is it?

It's a new education benefit program for those on active military duty on or after September 11, 2001.

How is the new GI Bill different from the old Montgomery GI Bill?

Veterans under the new bill receive a percentage of the maximum benefit, depending on their length of service. This covers the costs of tuition and fees, housing, and books and supplies (up to $1,000 a year).

Under the old GI bill, the benefit is set at $1,321 per month, paid to the veteran, regardless of location or length of service.

Who's eligible?

Those who served a minimum of 90 days on active duty after September 10, 2001, or were honorably discharged, retired, or transferred to a reserve component of the Armed Forces are eligible.

Veterans may also be eligible if they were honorably discharged from active duty for a service-connected disability and they served 30 continuous days after September 10, 2001. For more information, go to www.gibill.va.gov.

Web page designed by Marguerite Faucher.

Michelle Stark, Jennifer O'Neal and Marguerite Faucher contributed to this report.

Shelley Rossetter, Heather Gordon, Stark, O'Neal and Faucher are students in a multimedia journalism class at the University of South Florida.

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