A number of Veterans turn to NICC to get training

A display in support of veterans at NICC

The nation is celebrating Veterans Day on Friday--a day to honor veterans for their service to the country.

When Northeast Iowa veterans return home after their service, a number of them enroll at NICC to get the additional training they need as civilians.  NICC Calmar Disability Services Coordinator Anna Stamat works closely with many student veterans.

"Many veterans have difficulty adjusting from military life to civilian life," she explained. "Imagine being told what to do -- 24 hours a day/7 days a week -- and then being released with no structure and, sometimes, no purpose. The end result is the individual feeling disoriented and feeling as if they have lost their identity."

By varying degrees, all new students have anxiety about going to school for the first time, but veterans may have added concerns on top of worries that come from being a new student. "Some of our veterans may have new disabilities that they never had before, and if some of our veterans fought in a war that was not popular, they may have fear of being singled out, like our Vietnam vets," Stamat added. Likewise, all prospective students have to deal with applications and forms, but veterans "who receive support from Veterans Affairs have a myriad of paperwork to do in order to get into college. That is one of the biggest obstacles that our student veterans deal with," explained Stamat.

Another concern that student veterans experience is isolation.  "These individuals manage huge amounts of physical and mental pain without complaint. Many of them see civilian students as not emotionally strong enough to be their friends, so they will isolate themselves away from their peers," Stamat said.

She encourages student veterans to connect with other veterans who have been in school.  That may ease any feelings of isolation and teach the new student veterans how to better adjust to the college environment. "The experienced student veteran can assist with role modeling and guidance," Stamat added. "When they bond with other veterans, it will help them to alleviate the tendency to alienate themselves from other students."