From the Battlefield to the Classroom

GSU sees increase in veterans returning with expanded G.I. Bill

Story by Elizabeth Klipp | Photography by Meg Buscema

When Sgt. Mark Sanders returned from Iraq in 2006, he thought he could pick up where he left off in his studies. So the brawny 6-foot soldier enrolled at Georgia State where, at first, he did well in his business classes.

But then the three years he spent in the combat zones of Baghdad, Fallujah and Sadr City caught up with him.

The hiss of a MARTA bus braking on Peachtree Street reminded him of the eerie sound before a roadside bomb explodes. The sudden movement of a classmate during an exam would trigger his fight or flight response. And then there were the headaches, panic attacks and sleepless nights that made studying for exams or writing papers nearly impossible.

I thought I could jump right back in, but I was having problems adjusting,” said Sgt. Sanders, 33, who had served in the U.S. Army, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team out of Fort Wainwright, Alaska. “I know I wanted to help my country, but you never really plan for the after-effects [of combat].”

Sanders is one of a growing number of veteran students enrolled at Georgia State, and he’s not the only one finding it difficult to transition from combat to the classroom. The stresses of college, trying under the best of circumstances, can be especially frustrating for veterans coping with a physical disability, brain injury or symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Fortunately, there is an increasingly strong network of services and organizations at Georgia State working to help veteran students like Sanders with everything from finances to finding a support group.

Serving a new generation of American heroes

More than 1.6 million troops have been deployed to fight the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001, according to Pentagon data.
With newly expanded benefits available through the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill, veterans are enrolling in universities across the U.S. in record numbers. Close to 470 veterans enrolled at GSU for the fall 2009 semester alone, with 152 using their Post 9/11 G.I. Bill benefits. Overall, the university has certified more than 1,400 veterans for eligibility since 2007— the second highest of any institution in the University System of Georgia.

“My phone is ringing off the hook,” says Cynthia Carmichael, GSU’s coordinator of Veterans Services in the Office of the Registrar. “I used to get maybe five calls a day. Now it’s between 15 and 20 calls, and it is increasing every day.”

The Post 9/11 G.I. Bill, which took effect Aug. 1, provides money to cover the costs of attending college — including tuition, housing and books — for veterans who served after Sept. 10, 2001.

Because of the high demand among veterans for the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill, the Veterans Administration has been slow in getting the benefits out, leaving many students waiting for funds to pay their tuition bills. As of Oct. 2, it announced that eligible veteran students could receive a special emergency payment of their education benefits, totaling $3,000, to help in the interim.

As the university’s certifying official, Carmichael is who veterans see every semester to submit paperwork for their benefits. But she has become more than an administrator to them; she’s their sounding board. Student veterans come talk to her about their classes, their career goals and life in general, she says. Some stop by with pictures of their children or bring family members by for her to meet.

“Promoting these relationships is important,” Carmichael says.

“We try to be very veteran friendly, helping them when they are coming in and making sure they find their way,” she says. “Veterans are very respectful and disciplined. They have learned a lot from the military and they really add positive energy to the GSU community.”

To help GSU assist veterans further, the university recently was awarded a grant totaling $1 million over four years from the U.S. Department of Education to operate a Veterans Upward Bound program for low-income, first-generation military members. The program offers 120 veterans per year services such as counseling, mentoring, tutoring and academic instruction in core subject areas so they are able to gain admission and complete post-secondary education.

“We provide services that allow for a smooth transition and cut down on the bureaucracy,” says Everett Boyer, director of the Veterans Upward Bound and also a veteran. “They deserve it. They put their lives on the line.”

Georgia State’s Division of Student Affairs also recently created the Veterans Coordinating Council, a group of staff members who manage services for veterans and determine if new programs should be launched.

“We want to be able to reach them,” says Doris Derby, co-director of the council and the Office of African-American Student Services and Programs. “It’s about keeping everyone informed about what’s going on, and services available and how to navigate campus.”

And for returning veterans who may be experiencing PTSD or other symptoms, the GSU Counseling & Testing Center offers individual counseling and the services of several psychologists with specialized training in the treatment of PTSD.

“Quite often, combat veterans have signs of combat stress and PTSD before they are discharged from the armed services,” says Jill Lee-Barber, director of the GSU Counseling & Testing Center and a licensed psychologist. “They frequently avoid seeking help for combat-related stress, telling themselves they will handle their problems alone or at a more convenient time. Returning to the university is often that convenient time to begin to address the problems.”

Brothers and sisters in arms

Aside from Georgia State’s many programs and services, perhaps what is most inspiring is the work veteran students are doing to help their own.
When Sanders decided he needed help adjusting to college life, he started asking around to see what organizations were available for veterans. Instead of a group, he found fellow veteran Lt. John Manganaro, a 29-year-old business major who served in the U.S. Army’s 3rd Infantry Division.

In the future, the group hopes to advocate on behalf of student veterans at all levels of government and partner with local and national organizations to ensure veterans are successful as they transition from the battlefield to the boardroom.

“It’s connecting veterans to the right resources and getting them the help they need,” says Manganaro, president of the chapter. “They served our country, whether they’ve been in combat or not, they at least deserve 100 percent support when they get home.”

Manganaro himself served two combat deployments in Iraq after graduating from Hofstra University and completing infantry officer training and Ranger school at Fort Benning, Ga. During his first deployment, from 2004 to 2005, he was a platoon leader of 40 soldiers in East Baghdad.

He returned home to Savannah, Ga., in January 2006 to marry his fiancée, Amanda, a nurse, and soon left for 15 months in Ramadi. There, he started as a scout sniper platoon leader and later became a staff officer, which is when he started thinking about what was next for him outside of the Army. He decided he would go back to school for a master’s degree. He spent his evenings at Camp Ramadi studying for the GMAT in his “hooch” — a closet-size living area — as mortars and gunshots rang out in the Iraqi night.

Manganaro began the professional MBA program in 2009 at the GSU Alpharetta campus while working full-time as a regional manager for a manufacturing firm in Norcross, Ga.

In addition to running the Georgia State Student Veterans of America chapter, Manganaro is the director of all chapters in the state, presently at Kennesaw State University, Georgia Southern University and Macon State College. He and his wife are also expecting their first child in December.
Student Veterans of America at GSU is small but growing, with 20 active members and more signing up all the time, Manganaro says.

“I wanted to be out there, helping fellow veterans,” Golden says. “I want to take care of our soldiers.”

Golden, 21, served in the Georgia National Guard as a warehouse supply worker before coming to GSU. He is now a senior, majoring in speech, and will become a quartermaster officer in the guard after he graduates. Golden also serves on the Student Government Association, which has seen a marked rise in veteran participation. SGA president Greg Abt, for example, is active in ROTC and will be commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Army after he graduates this May.

Non-traditional veteran students are also on campus earning degrees, such as married couple Lacey and Daniel Enyart, who met and served together in the U.S. Army's Special Forces.

Daniel was deployed for 10 months in Iraq and the couple deployed together twice for eight months each in Afghanistan, doing military intelligence — analyzing threat levels for forces as well as identifying Taliban commanders and other targets.

In November 2007, the couple took a leave of absence and started classes at GSU in January 2008. They are studying political science on ROTC scholarships but may switch over to the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill benefits.

“I think it’s a great thing,” Daniel says. “Now, more than ever, veterans have an opportunity to attend college.”

The couple hopes to return to the Army as commissioned officers after they graduate in May 2011.Both are also members of SVA and NABVETS, and they are working on SGA legislation they hope will get GSU to accept military training courses as college credits like other major universities.

The Enyarts’ dedication and hard work is characteristic of veterans returning to college, says Jeremy Sumter, assistant registrar at Georgia State.

“They are focused; they know what they want and they are determined to get it,” he says. “They bring a certain energy to campus and are looking for ways to get involved.”

Sanders predicts the number of veteran students will grow.

“There’s going to be a huge influx with the new G.I. Bill, and a lot of soldiers want to take advantage of it, especially those who never considered going to college before,” he says. “The benefits are too good to pass up.”

It’s already easy to spot veterans on campus. Look for the students wearing a military patrol pack as a book bag, like Sanders does.

On his pack, the American flag patch is facing backwards to honor an Army tradition that comes from charging into battle. While running forward, the flag was reversed. Sanders’ backwards patch shows that the United States is engaged in combat and it will only face forward when all troops stand down and return home, he says.

“There’s a whole generation of junior leadership that has tons of experience — both combat and noncombat — who are really wanting to do more,” Manganaro says. “It’s about taking care of our own.”

For more information, visit http://www.studentveterans.org/georgiastate.