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From Service to School: Veterans at UNH By Beth Potier

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They've endured physical and mental trials most of us can't imagine. Many bear wounds or suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. But when armed services veterans come to UNH, what challenges them most?

Financial aid. Picking a major. Academic advising. That is, college itself.

The transition from military life to college is one of the biggest hurdles that veterans face, according to Lonn Sattler '87, '91G, UNH's veterans' coordinator. In addition, of the more than 400 veterans now at UNH, 150 have a physical disability and 100 are diagnosed with PTSD.

Sattler, who served in the Navy and Navy Reserve, provides counseling to veterans and manages their financial benefits. Since 2009, when the Post-9/11 GI Bill took effect, the number of veterans at UNH has doubled, and the educational benefits available to them have tripled, requiring Sattler and two colleagues to scramble to address their needs.

While the veterans' maturity, discipline, and experiences generally help them excel in the classroom and make them popular among (and sometimes mistaken for) their professors, those same distinctions get in the way when they try to connect with their traditional-age classmates. "It's weird being the oldest 'kid' in class," says Brendan Fagan '14, a forestry major and 16-year veteran of the Air Force.

At a recent brown-bag lunch, veterans discussed the importance of connecting with one another. "We all speak the same language, no matter what branch we were in," Fagan says.

Being isolated "ruins the whole college experience," adds Eric Allain '14, who is working to create a veterans network through a new UNH Student Veterans Organization.

This year, a pilot pre-orientation adventure program for incoming veterans, which draws on expertise from UNH's Northeast Passage, was launched. The two-day program introduces participants to services on campus and—via kayaking, camping and other activities at the Browne Center—to one another.

Challenges aside, the past decade has seen positive changes for student veterans, beyond the new GI Bill. PTSD is now recognized, although many suspect it remains underreported. And Americans honor veterans' service to their country. "Before 9/11, nobody would thank you for your service," Sattler says. "We haven't been appreciated like this since World War II."