Horton hears an associate dean, and thinks of eleven very specific words

Posted By Thomas E. Ricks Friday, September 30, 2011 - 10:21 AM Share

Speaking of students who are veterans, Alex Horton, whom I've followed since he was a bubblegum-chewing, hard-blogging infantryman in Iraq, has some interesting observations about starting as a student at Georgetown University: "... an associate dean spoke about development of the whole person, sound in spirit and mind. I could not help but think of my own development on the training grounds at Fort Lewis and the rooftops of Baghdad, where notions of spirituality and existence were taught at the velocity of molten shrapnel."

I like those last 11 words.

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6OGUREZ

2:38 AM ET

October 1, 2011

you start missing everybody

so says Holden Caulfield at the end of the novel, Catcher in the Rye. After a few years the nostalgia kicks in- "Well, it wasn't that bad when I was..."

On another vignette. - sometimes nostalgia wins. I was talking to a Marine in one war zone post and he told me he was getting out. He added that he'd had a enough and did his time in OIF I. I recommended that he head to college when he could. A few years later I saw him in the other sandbox as a security contractor. When I was about to say "What the f---?" He answered he'd done two semesters and wasn't failing out but that his fellow students "just didn't get it."

ERIC_STRATTONIII

11:57 AM ET

October 1, 2011

Found it interesting

I do not think it is the schools role to set themselves up to "understand" vets, they should really just make sure we have a good Vet Rep so that the GI Bill and any other problems that might arise from it are taken care of.

Found it interesting that a few commenters thought it was unfair that the author got the GI Bill and they didn't, that somehow it was not right. Anyone can join the military if they are of sound body and mind, nothing there to prevent them from doing so and getting the same benefit the author did, kind of amazing so many think they should get something for doing nothing. GI Bill has been around since WWII, not like the commenters didn't know about this great military secret college bill. Guess the sense of entitlement we see in some vets, although in a different vein, is just a reflection of the society we serve. Maybe the Military Culture and Civilian Culture are not that far apart in some ways.

JPWRIGHT7

8:14 PM ET

October 3, 2011

Agree and then some...

The last 11 words were well written. I also enjoyed Mr. Horton’s account of his transition to life at a civilian university. I think that the expansion of college benefits for vets that came in the form of the Post 9-11 GI Bill is a great thing and will pay huge dividends not only to assist vets in getting an education and aiding their transition into civilian society, but also in helping to bridge the ever widening gap between the military and the society that we serve. There have been several articles published recently that outline these statistics and their potential consequences. The military cuts that we all know are coming will further widen this gap. Putting service members, both veterans recently separated from the service as well as those still serving, into classrooms across the country is one way, albeit small and tough to track via statistics, that each sector of U.S. society can better understand each other. The best universities around the country should be encouraging vets to attend their schools so that the vets can provide perspective and so that the vets can network with their more traditional students, those likely to be the future leaders in government, and industry. The military services should continue to expand civilian education (basic and higher) programs so that they include top-tier schools. This will place those continuing to serve in the classrooms with those same future civilian leaders where ideas can be exchanged, assumptions questions, and relationships formed. This is the same idea that drives our military services to send U.S. officers to foreign military academies and schools while encouraging future military leaders in foreign countries to come to our schools and academies. Those students learn the skills and languages, yes, but also learn to understand each other and forge relationships that can pay huge strategic dividends in the future.

MAJ J. Wright, student, Staff Group 30A, Command and General Staff College, Satellite Campus, Fort Belvoir, VA

The views expressed in this post are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.