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Local News

Monday, December 21, 2009

Colleges extend helping hand to war veterans
Hancock Federal Credit Union
By MICHELLE REITER

STAFF WRITER

When she came home from Iraq five years ago, Linsee Ostrander had a hard time readjusting to American life.

She didn't know what to say to her family. She started going to the University of Toledo but could not concentrate on her work.

At first, she kept her problems to herself because that is what veterans often do.

"You just don't discuss or complain about the trauma you experience there," said Ostrander, who was a member of the Army National Guard for six years.

Despite the difficulties, Ostrander, of Findlay, recently graduated from Owens Community College's nursing program.

College officials say more veterans are going to college, although they find it difficult to gauge the numbers because applications do not require students to provide military service information.

The veteran/students are an asset to colleges, officials say, but some are carrying emotional and physical burdens from their military experiences.

The type of veteran that colleges are getting is different than it was a decade ago, college officials say.

"Their whole vision of the world changes after serving overseas," said Brett Holden, director of Bowling Green State University's Veterans Assessment and Service Team and the Student Veteran Task Force.

He said veterans deployed in Iraq often feel guilty for having taken life in the United States for granted. That guilt can last for years.

"They feel guilt for something as simple as a shower, a power grid or safety," Holden said. "They return home with a better sense of the world."

One of the advantages veterans and service members who have been in the military since 2001 can enjoy is the post-9/11 GI Bill, which became available last year. The bill pays for most or all of a veteran's education, including lab fees and books, and adds a living stipend.

The program is backlogged, said Joanne DeCamp, the veterans adviser at Owens Community College. That means students, or the schools, have to wait for their money.

But that has not stopped veterans from using it.

"Numbers have gone up due to the post-9/11 GI Bill," DeCamp said. "We're booked every day with new vets."

She said veteran numbers at Owens decreased after the 2001 terrorist attack, but are gradually rising again. Owens, like other colleges, is working hard to accommodate the new wave of veterans, who come in all ages and a wide variety of backgrounds.

No veteran is the same, but most veterans, DeCamp said, are an asset to any college.

"It's money in our pocket," she said. "Veterans always pay."

It isn't just the money, though. Veterans are often more focused. Their military experience has matured them, and they show up eager and driven.

"They come in, they know what they want, they're going to get it and get out," DeCamp said.

But the process is not always simple for veterans, and colleges are changing to meet the needs of these veterans, many of whom arrive with visible or invisible injuries.

Many veteran/students struggle with concentration, anxiety and other symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Then there are the finances: college is expensive, and life is expensive, so juggling the two can be complicated.

"Their needs are really, really, really complex," Holden said.

Veterans often endure significant pay cuts when they leave the military, and they are also trying with varying success to re-assimmilate into American culture. They may have sleep issues; they remain hyper-vigilant even though they're no longer in a war zone. Some remain in the reserves and face repeated deployments. For others, navigating the paperwork is intimidating.

Bowling Green State University has a Student Veteran Task Force that is gathering and assessing the needs of college veterans, Holden said. Veterans could use advocates to help them through the paperwork, he said, and a veterans group to link them together.

Veterans' families may also need support, and the veteran may have physical or mental health needs the university will need to meet.

Ostrander, who started out at Balad Air Base, north of Baghdad, worked with the military police and saw her share of combat. She rode convoys through Iraqi suburbs, which was dangerous as many of the civilians were heavily armed. Roadside bombings were common.

Convoys, she said, made it a point never to stop.

"It's very common to be caught in the mortars at the side of the road," she said. "They explode when a convoy goes by."

Random bombings surrounding the air base also were common. She said she always kept a 9 mm by her side.

Her unit helped train Iraqi soldiers and dodged bombs set off on the perimeter of the base.

It is a life most of her classmates have never known. Now 25, Ostrander returned from Iraq changed. She suffered from anxiety and she had no taste for American materialism. It has been five years since she left Iraq, but she only recently got a TV. She has a cell phone and uses hair spray, but it all feels like excess, she said.

Veterans often experience frustration with their environment: a college newspaper that expresses perspectives to which they can no longer relate; other students who do not understand them; and a media that portrays an incomplete picture of what they were doing in Iraq.

For Ostrander, time has helped, and through Facebook she is now reconnecting with former service friends. They are now beginning to share their experiences and resources to help them cope.

She plans to go to Bowling Green for a bachelor's degree. She hopes to become a psychiatric nurse, and will use the new post-9/11 GI Bill as long as she is eligible. So far, she has little to no college debt.

She is grateful for her military experience, because it shaped her.

"I guess it's made me all the more interested in psychology, and definitely empathetic," she said.

Reiter: 419-427-8497,

Send an e-mail to Michelle Reiter


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2 Comments

Latest comments listed first.
lstern wrote:
Transition to Employment
“ Another transition Veterans and returning Service Members may experience is the transition to the civilian workforce. I just wanted to pass on information about a free resource/initiative, sponsored by the U.S. Dept. of Labor: America's Heroes at Work. Americas Heroes at Work is an anti-stigma & public education campaign geared toward employers to help ensure the employment success of Veterans and returning Service Members living with TBI and/or PTSD. The project features a Web site <http://www.AmericasHeroesAtWork.gov> where resources, training tools, success stories and other information are provided to help employers (and Veterans) understand both injuries - and how to work together to put successful workplace accommodations in place to ensure a successful transition into the civilian workforce. Many of these workplace accommodations may be helpful in education, too. Hope this information is helpful! ”
Wednesday, December 23, 2009 9:33:27 PM
Rachelle A. Sparks wrote:
Thank you
“ Thank you Owens, its about time that an organization stood up for those who fight for US. We should ALL take a good look at what Owens is doing and do the same thing. Thank you to all those who fight for us so we dont have to, and thank you for giving me my freedom. ”
Monday, December 21, 2009 7:04:05 AM
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This video, released by the Hancock County Prosecutor's Office, shows the shooting of a Lima man who led authorities on a three-county chase ending Aug.24 in Benton Ridge. Be cautioned, the video contains graphic content.
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News Briefs Firefighters discover 20 marijuana plants in house
After fighting a house fire early Monday at 815 Howard St., firefighters found 20 marijuana plants in the residence.

"They ran across it and called us," said police Sgt. Justin Hendren with the Hancock County METRICH Drug Enforcement Unit.

Police seized all 20 plants, and Hendren said charges are pending.

High-powered growing lights, fans, and a box filled with dried marijuana were also found in the house, according to a police report.

Investigators said an electrical short started the fire before 3 a.m. Monday.

The blaze caused an estimated $12,000 in damage to the residence, owned by Amanda Crawford. No one was injured, according to the Findlay Fire Department.

Carey announces holiday closing
CAREY -- Carey offices, including administrative, income tax and utilities, electric, wastewater treatment plant, and public works, will be closed Monday in observance of Labor Day.

The curbside recycling program will be held Tuesday through Thursday, Sept. 7-9.

Findlay trooper named sergeant
Trooper Jacob L. Fletcher, assigned to the Findlay post of the State Highway Patrol, was promoted to sergeant Wednesday by Patrol Superintendent Col. David Dicken.

With the promotion, Fletcher will stay at the Findlay post and serve as an assistant post commander, according to the patrol.

Fletcher began his patrol career in 2002 after graduating from the 139th Academy class and has been assigned to the Findlay post since.

Owens announces holiday schedule
The Toledo and Findlay campuses of Owens Community College will be closed Saturday through Monday for the Labor Day holiday.

There will be no classes and the college offices will be closed.

Classes will resume and offices will open again on Tuesday.

Holiday changes ad deadlines
The Courier won't be published on Monday, in observance of the Labor Day holiday.

Because of the holiday, some advertising deadlines have been moved up this week:

Black and white display advertising for Tuesday's newspaper must be placed by noon Friday. Display advertising for Wednesday's newspaper must be placed by 2:30 p.m. Friday.

Color display advertising for the Thursday, Sept. 9 newspaper must be placed by Friday.

Classified advertising and City and Country advertising for Saturday's newspaper must be placed by 2 p.m. Friday. Classified ads for Tuesday's newspaper must be placed by 2:30 p.m. Friday.

Courier business and advertising offices will close at 3 p.m. Friday for the holiday.