Many young people wounded during military service struggle with concerns beyond physical disability and pain, including how to finish their educations and lead successful civilian lives.
In response, a pilot program by the American Council on Education offers academic and career services for wounded veterans.
The initiative, titled "Severely Injured Military Veterans: Fulfilling Their Dreams," began last February and is an academic advisory service that provides assistance in forming career goals and educational attainment, according to the American Council on Education's Web site.
The program helps veterans locate legitimate distance learning providers, identify standards for success in coursework and apply for college, according to the American Council on Education's Web site.
Though the AU Admissions Office does not offer special services for applicants from the military, there is an admissions staff member who evaluates earned military credits for possible academic credit at AU, Cristan Trahey, the university's acting director of admissions, said in an e-mail.
"The university may award undergraduate credit for life experience through work, travel and community service for any applicant who has been out of school for at least eight years," Trahey said in the e-mail. "While this benefit is not specific to veterans, veterans are a population who may fall into this category more than other applicant groups."
Credit for life experience is assessed by the College of Arts and Sciences' Advising Center and is not specific to the admissions office, Trahey said in the e-mail.
AU has yet to participate in the American Council of Education's program, according to Trahey.
Some AU students said they look forward to learning from students formerly in active duty.
"They would give students better insight into the military experience," said Damon Taylor, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Kye Lee, a junior in the School of International Service, recalls having a class with an Iraq war veteran during his freshman year. The student enriched class discussions with stories from the war. Listening to first-hand experience is an excellent alternative to textbook material, Lee said.
Other universities share this view and are finding ways to attract military students. Penn State's World Campus Military Admissions and Advising Team offers distance learning courses for active-duty students and admissions and financial aid assistance for active-duty and veteran students, according to Penn State's Web site.
This department also offers tutoring and wellness help, said James Abrashoff, a civil engineering junior at Penn State who recently completed four and a half years of combat duty in Iraq.
"They're really good in supporting veterans that come through," he said.
Abrashoff approved of the council program, which he says is needed for veterans, wounded or not, who may not receive the financial and educational assistance they deserve.
"I think it's important to give veterans educational and social help," he said. "They definitely deserve the assistance."
The help wounded veterans may look for when searching for universities include undergraduate credit for life experience, financial aid guidance and nontraditional housing options, along with traditional services such as career counseling and academic advising, Trahey said.
According to an article in U.S. News and World Report, the program is an improvement from the limited benefits of the current Montgomery GI Bill.
Though 270,000 veterans currently use the GI Bill, wounded veterans can lose some of the program's benefits including academic assistance, according to the U.S. News article.
To be eligible for the program, an honorable discharge with at least two years of service is required for active duty soldiers and four years for selected reserve, according to the program's Web site.
The GI Bill provides up to 36 months of benefits for college and specialized schools including business, technical, correspondence, vocational, apprenticeship, job training or flight schools, according to the program's Web site. Participants can receive over $36,000 towards tuition, according to the Web site.
Brendon Bowen, a junior in the School of Public Affairs and a cadet sergeant in the Hoya Battalion ROTC program, said an alternative to the GI Bill is necessary.
"[Wounded soldiers] have given a sacrifice for this country," Bowen said. "They should definitely be given more benefits in addition to the Montgomery GI Bill"
