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.