NJ Easing Transition from War to College

Bryan Adams enrolled at the University of Massachusetts in 2006, re-entering civilian life after a tour in Iraq as an Army sniper.

But he spent the beginning of his college career feeling socially isolated.

"The other 21-year-olds hadn't done a year in Iraq," Adams said. "The first semester of school, I didn't say one word to anyone. I don't think they understood that there were serious problems and major issues going on every day."

Now a student at Rutgers-Camden, Adams is having an easier time of it, thanks to a network of supportive veterans and other programs. Under a bill moving through the legislature, that kind of support would be available to veterans at all public colleges and universities in New Jersey.

The Troops for College Program, which has cleared committee and awaits debate in the Assembly, would put a veterans' assistance officer on each campus to help guide veterans though the financial aid process and other challenges.

The sponsors say it is a timely measure, with about 3,600 U.S. National Guard troops returning to New Jersey in June.

"When the soldiers come back, I want them to go to school here," said Assemblyman Jack Conners (D., Burlington).

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Assemblyman Patrick Diegnan (D., Middlesex), another sponsor, said the measure would provide each campus with "one stop where everyone can go and get the support they need." It will also establish institution-specific online resources for veterans.

"If you talk about the definition of a non-traditional student, it's a veteran," Diegnan said.

Combat stress and the harsh realities of war make the transition back to civilian difficult for many veterans. A crucial component of the transition, according to veterans' advocates, is giving veterans the education they require for successful civilian lives.

For Adams, the conversion to campus life was not a smooth one.

In Iraq, while on foot patrol, he had been ambushed and shot in the hand and leg, earning a Purple Heart. He stayed in Iraq for his recovery and rehabilitation, and eventually returned to combat.

When he got to UMass, Adams said, his fellow students had never experienced such life-altering events. They seemed to be primarily interested in beer and MTV, he said.

Adams, who grew up in Palmyra, transferred to Rutgers-Camden in 2007, and began meeting students with similar backgrounds.

William Dennis Brown Jr., also an Iraq war veteran, had founded the student group Veterans for Education in 2007 to ease the feelings of isolation that many veterans experience at college. The group was part of Student Veterans of America, a national organization, to lobby for veterans' needs at the university.

"When you're with other veterans, it's a lot easier to relate to another veteran than to your average peer who hasn't experienced combat," said Adams, 24. "A lot of them are more driven and focused. It helps to be around a group of people like that."

Veterans for Education has helped create a social network on campus, and its leaders have worked with Rutgers president Richard McCormick on a number of veterans' initiatives, including the creation of a veterans' advisory board.

According to Conners, student groups like Veterans for Education will help keep costs of the Troops to College Program to a minimum. He said in some cases the Troops to College Program will simply coordinate programs already in place.

"I don't see any need for hiring more staff," Conners said. "It seems to me that [colleges and universities] could tale already existing staff, or have someone who could be used."

Richard Stockton College of New Jersey recently created an Office of Veterans Affairs to be administered by the Division of Student Affairs.

The office "is there to provide assistance and resources -- both academic and social support -- for our veterans," said Thomas O'Donnell, assistant to the Dean of Student Affairs.

O'Donnell said the college has established an electronic mailing list for veterans, is working to provide them with financial and housing assistance, and is creating a student-run group for student-veterans. He added that these Stockton initiatives would work in tandem with the Troops to College Program.

"We're going to work hard to implement every aspect of that here at Stockton," he said. "It's important to be supportive of our veterans, and that's our purpose."

Adams said he is delighted that the Troops to College Program was drawing attention to a cause he and Brown had worked at on a grass-roots level.

"It will really add support to our argument and to our fight for what we're trying to do," Adams said.

Brown, a 31-year-old Iraq war veteran and former Navy Seal, agreed.

"I'm really happy to have representatives that are really looking out for veterans," he said.