A sparse group of students and community members gathered in the EMU Amphitheater yesterday at noon to listen to six student-veterans share their experiences about serving in the U.S. armed forces and now transitioning into civilian and campus life.
The panelists, gathered by the Veterans and Family Student Association, passed the microphone back and forth, sitting under the blaring midday sun and surrounded by a small sea of 300 dog tag-wearing rubber ducks, each representing a student-veteran on campus.
While many painful details were left out during the 45 minutes of discussion and Q & A, the panel members did their best to provide insight into their past experiences and the effects those experiences have on them today.
“You grow up a lot faster overseas,” said Michael Oreskovick, who served in the U.S. Army in Iraq from 2003 to 2004. “Partying kinda goes out the window. It really holds no meaning anymore,” he said.
Oreskovick lost an arm a week before he was supposed to be sent home, something he said added to his struggle with integrating into life outside the Army.
“This isn’t World War II, where everybody’s sacrificing something. The military is at war and Americans are at the mall,” Oreskovick said after the panel.
The University has 300 student-veterans, and Lane Community College has nearly 500, although this isn’t widely known around campus, said Sean Jin, the activity coordinator for the VFSA.
Jin said he believes parts of the obscurity surrounding the visibility of student-veterans are the stereotypes and political opinions students have, which cloud their ideas of what a veteran is.
“We’re trying to reach out to the rest of the University community and build positive relationships and say we’re here, (and) we’re students like everybody else,” he said.
Jin said while the campus community promotes sensitivity about race, gender and sexual orientation, this isn’t always the case when impressing the importance of giving respect to and being understanding toward veterans.
Anna, who asked her last name not be printed, served in the U.S. National Guard in Egypt and went to New Orleans during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. She said she was worried about the stereotypes people have about veterans, such as the misconception that they are all conservative and Republican.
“I unfortunately have had a couple negative experiences here, both with students and faculty,” she said. “I think the best suggestion to give out to faculty is to be aware of your surroundings.”
Jake Courtright, who served in Germany and Iraq, said he’s been struggling for the past two years with the transition. He said he is also dealing with what he experienced overseas.
“It’s an everyday struggle for integration, I think for a lot of us,” Courtright said. Courtright has been dealing with anger issues, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and receiving financial assistance from the Department of Veteran Affairs.
“I was getting arrested regularly for fights,” Courtright said of what his life was like after first returning.
In order to go through the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder questionnaire and be awarded financial assistance for mental-related problems after serving, veterans either need a Purple Heart or a Combat Infantryman Badge.
Because Courtright was in an armor unit, he has neither of these and has been repeatedly turned down for assistance since he was discharged two years ago. This is something he is still fighting, although he received a rejection letter again last week.
“I was a sniper and all I did was shoot people,” Courtright said after the panel, shaking his head in frustration and squinting in the sunlight.
Other panelists took a moment to share their memorable experiences while serving, both the good and painful.
Christian Ramons, who served in the Army, remembered a touching moment when he went into a day care in the Middle East.
“When I went in there this little girl grabbed my hand, and we were there for about an hour and a half and she never let go,” Ramons said, laughing lightly before passing the microphone.
Michael Mason, who served in Italy and Iraq, said he found the celebration following the capture of Saddam Hussein memorable.
“The Kurdish people were dancing in the street and running up and kissing and hugging us,” he said. Mason also remembered the day he lost half of his squad and said he still misses them everyday.
Camaraderie was an issue many panel members addressed. Most of them referred to the people they served with as their family, people they leaned on for support while serving. This family has grown since returning, and they now look to each other for comfort and understanding.
“You think you have friends in high school but you get in the military, especially in the infantry, and you have people you are bleeding with and sweating with and crying with,” Oreskovick said after the panel.
Oreskovick said this type of friendship can only grow from challenges and the experiences he and others had while serving.
“Being in that type of situation shows you what is really important,” he said, adding the relationships with his family and friends are the most important part of his life right now.
For more information on the VFSA or to receive information about future panels, e-mail your questions to [email protected] or stop by the office located in suite 2 of the EMU.
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