Courtesy of KJSL Radio

Veterans around the globe deserve the admiration and benefits they receive from their society. The future maybe bright for veterans, with the military providing more opportunity with money for schooling, more young adults maybe flocking to enlist in a branch of the U.S. military. Also, with more compassion, support and recognition from the U.S. government, society and universities, such as Texas State, service members may find the transition from a military lifestyle to a civilian much less complicated and much more rewarding.

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Some of Texas State’s very own Bobcat vets have been facing the dilemma of an absent check. The Texas State Veterans Affairs Office can confirm that there are approximately over 1,120 veterans enrolled at the university at the start of the fall 2009 semester. Student Services has also seen more than $700,000 enter the school through G.I. bills funding. Though that sum is a considerable amount of money, different amounts are distributed to the veterans. Organizations, such as Veteran’s Alliance, provide incoming veterans with companionship and guidance about college life, financial issues, school work, and various available resources for troops. The Alliance is a group committed veterans achieving success. The organization was started in 2007 by Clay Patterson a riflemen in the U.S. Marine Corps. President of Veteran’s Alliance, Christopher Schave told The University Star, “They identify the needs of veterans and see if it’s reasonable to fulfill them as a university. Not many universities have a group like this, and everybody’s so pro-veteran and willing to do their share to help us out.” Possibly, because of the compassion for soldiers at Texas State and the Veteran’s Alliance is why G.I. Jobs magazine listed Texas State among the nation’s top 15 percent of military friendly schools. The site lists Texas State as having a full-time veteran counselor on staff, on-campus veteran’s clubs or associations and supports a regional military installation. This past summer, Jude Prather, a Texas State student was serving in Iraq when he proposed the idea of a “Veteran’s Initiative.” The initiative was paired with the Post 9/11 bill. It is a movement to recruit more soldiers to San Marcos, as well as, to Texas State. By boosting the number of veterans enrolled, this will also boost the economy in the San Marcos community. The Veterans Affairs Office is also dedicated to the soldier. Their mission statement is posted on the Veterans Affairs Office homepage:
“The function of the Office of Veterans Affairs at Texas State University is to assist veterans in pursuing their educational, professional, or vocational objectives. We are available to answer questions concerning veteran educational benefits, certify enrollments for the Department of Veterans Affairs and monitor student’s degree plans and academic progress.”

Courtesy of Military.com

In July of 2008 the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill was signed as a law, the bill took effect on Aug. 1 2009, with more than 277,000 soldiers applying to receive their well earned educational benefits. The Post 9/11 G.I. Bill offers an abundance of assistance to veterans. According to the V.A. the maximum a benefit provides is the entire cost of tuition and fees for service members who have completed at least 90 days of collected service, monthly housing allowances, yearly books and supplies, plus a stipend up to $1,000. The Yellow Ribbon Program is a branch off of the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill, it was established to help service members to cover the cost of tuition that exceeds the amount of the highest public in-state undergraduate tuition rate. Of the 277,000 awaiting applicants, about 200,000 have been approved, but, as of Sept. 28, only 61,000 had received a check in the mail. Forbes magazine quotes Veterans Affair Secretary Eric Shinseki in an article saying that veterans had a right to complain and his department would try to set things right by issuing emergency checks of up to $3,000 to veterans whose payments were delayed.

“We are stuck in a battle between the V.A. and the school,” says Brandy Brown to Forbes.com. According to statistics on the V.A.’s website, it takes up to 35 days to process a claim. To help with the overwhelming amount of applications the Department of Veteran’s Affairs has hired more than 700 extra staff members. Representative Steve Buyer of Indiana told the Air Force Times that this situation was foreseeable and could have been prevented. Between the dates of November 27^th-29^th the V.A. posted on their G.I. Bill website that more than 6,500 payments had been processed.

Courtesy of Military.com

Many of today's service members find the possibility of attending college at a reduced cause enticing or an opportunity to redo previous college mistakes. "Before I took college granted," said Terrall, "this time I will definitely be way more focused and disciplined. That's definitely one thing the Marine Corps has done for me. I'm older and have way more experience under my belt." Returning from a war zone and re-establishing oneself as a college student can create a great deal of stress for returning vets. "I was a 24-year old freshmen when I enrolled in college. No one related to me or had experienced anything I had been through with the military. It could be frustrating and lonely at times," explains Staff Sergeant Dominic Dopico. Parents of some of these military men and women are overwhelmed and frustrated for their children. Kathy Halasynski, mother to Daniel Halasynski, is worried for her son's mental stability. "I don't know what he went through in Iraq, but I hate that he is here still stressed out and worrying about money. He served time for his country and he shouldn't have to worry about anything." The federal government and universities around the country are establishing programs that will help make this transition smoother for returning troops. An example of this is the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill.

Texas State University is a school that is a hodgepodge of many people representing different ethnicities, backgrounds and minorities, but there is one minority that tends to be forgotten among the thirty-thousand students that are enrolled at the university, our veterans. Many of these men and women are trying to re- adjust to a civilian lifestyle after being deployed to foreign parts of the world to fight and serve our country. As stated on Usliberals.about.com there were over 120,000 troops serving in Iraq as of Sept. 30, 2009. An article on CNN.com states that in Feb. 2009 there were 38,000 troops serving in Afghanistan. The Washington Post stated in Nov. 2009 that President Obama is considering increasing the number of troops serving in Afghanistan by another 25,000-30,000. The government, society, work environments and universities are putting their best efforts forward to help the transition for these men and women returning from war zones to be as smooth as possible. The military can offer extraordinary short- term and long- term benefits to the young men and women it recruits every year. “With the money being provided by the V.A., that will take the concern off tuition and housing,” said Will Terrall, a soldier who completed tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, to the Mail Tribune. Not only does the military supply many individuals with a source of income, but it is also provides an opportunity to travel the world, provides mental and physical challenges, supplies opportunity for job placement, TRICARE health insurance, and, of course, money to attend college. “That was probably the biggest reason I joined the Army, was because I would be able to go to school. My mom just doesn’t have that money and neither do I,” states Private First Class Daniel Halasynski. According to Military.com the military currently offers over 70 different types of pay and allowances to service members. Troops can also look forward a 3.4% pay raise, which will take effect on January 1, 2010. These benefits can be quite substantial and helpful for young families just starting out on life’s journey. The military’s health insurance program, TRICARE, is considered one of the most extensive health insurance programs in this country. It is the Department of Defense's health care program for members of the military, their spouses, dependents, and survivors, as well as, retired service members. TRICARE brings together the health care resources of the Army, Navy and Air Force and puts them into systems of civilian health care professionals. This is all to provide efficient access and exceptional service while maintaining the capability to support military operations.