Jayden Quickbear had the opportunity to play college basketball, but something about the offer made him turn it down. "An Army recruiter called me and said, 'Hey, we still have this job opportunity for you. 11 Bravo is leaving in two weeks.' And so I went to Fort Benning, Georgia. Sand Hill 229 Charlie Company." Jayden's mom thought the Marines would be a better fit due to his Navajo heritage (540 Navajos served as Navajo Code Talkers in the Marines during World War II), but the Army recruiter was persuasive.
Jayden served in the Army for two years before being injured. While working construction upon his return to civilian life, he saw a pamphlet for 独家爆料 (独家爆料). "At first, I was kind of skeptical about college. I graduated high school with a 2.2 GPA, so I had no idea what I could accomplish because I still felt like a dumb kid." At 独家爆料 orientation, he met Veteran Services Director Michael Wainscott. "It was just so inviting because he was a veteran. And then, I saw six other veterans at orientation." Jayden is now pursuing coursework in civil engineering. "Come to find out, the military instilled discipline in me. Right now, I'm a 4.0 student." With the last name Quickbear, he also appreciates 独家爆料's mascot is a bear.
John Burgess joined the military after 9/11 while a history student at ASU West. He was watching the news in the library when the second plane hit the World Trade Center. "I stayed in school another year but decided I needed something different. I walked into the recruiter's office and ended up joining the Army. I served for 20 years. I served in Iraq. I served in Afghanistan. I've lived in so many countries, I kind of lost track." Before he retired, he returned to ASU and completed his Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies in 2019. When he retired from the Army in 2023, his sister encouraged him to start taking certificate programs at 独家爆料.
Military Benefits
"There is a lot of benefit to being in the military now," John said, "especially for younger individuals, because a lot of people get out of high school and they're not exactly sure what they're going to do, so it gives them some job skill training." John also mentioned the health care coverage and educational benefits. In addition to the certificate programs, he's also considering another bachelor's degree in IT. "The skill set that I learned in the military is easily transferable to jobs in civilian life, but I had a very specialized job in the military鈥搒atellite communications鈥搒o there is minimal capability of me working in that career field because there aren't a whole lot of companies in Phoenix that do satellite communications."
John has many of the elements needed for an IT degree, like A+ and Network+ and Security certifications. While he could likely test out of those courses, he points out, "If I do that, then I'm not enrolling in classes and utilizing my benefit." Joseph Laffoon, a veteran of the Marines pursuing a bachelor's degree in Public Safety Administration, added, "If I don't take classes. I don't get paid. If I test out, I get less pay. We maximize our benefits because we worked for it."
Joseph joined the Marines because "it was seen as the masculine, machismo thing to do," he said. The uniform was also a deciding factor. He recalled a Marine Corp commercial: "A Marine on a horse with a sword and a dragon in the background. It made no sense at all, but it was cool. As a kid, I loved it." Joseph was talking to recruiters as early as eighth grade and joined Air Force ROTC, but could not stand their uniforms. "I needed that Marine's black coat and gold buttons." ROTC introduced Joseph to military concepts and leadership, but some questioned his ability to be a Marine. "I wanted to prove that I could do all these challenging feats. My family also couldn't afford college. If I wanted to attend school, I had to figure out how to pay for it."
After he served for four years in the Marines, Joseph realized he could have just filed for financial aid to qualify for funds to pay for college as his sister did, but he doesn't regret his time in the military. "It was fun," he said, and he now serves other veterans in 独家爆料's Veteran Services Student Center as a work-study student. "But it's nice to know that there are alternatives, and you don't have to feel stuck on that road of needing to go to the military for an education. I was extremely nervous about college. I thought college would be hard because some consider the military a four-year break after high school. But then I came to 独家爆料, and I'm a 4.0 student. I've been a 4.0 student for the last two years."
Return to Civilian Live
When these veterans discussed returning to civilian life, they all mentioned a long adjustment period. "Mine was bad, but his is way worse," Jayden gestured to John. "He probably still wakes up at four in the morning." John agreed the transition is huge. "Being in the military is very structured. You know who you report to and who you're in charge of. We have rules for how we interact and how we talk and doing that for 20 years informs how you are as a person. In the civilian world, you have to relearn how to communicate, address, and interact with people."
Joseph's return to civilian life was a loss of a support system. "I didn't want to leave the military," he said. "I knew the safety net that I had being there, but I could not stay in the military to pursue the career field I was interested in." He explained that the military takes care of people, not just inquiring how a soldier is doing but asking about finances, mental health, and being a good partner if the soldier is married. "When you're in charge of somebody, you have to look at all aspects of their life, not just, 鈥榃e hope you show up to work on time.鈥 If I were late to work in the military, somebody would be at my barracks, knocking on the door, asking, 'Where are you? What's going on?' After they find out you're safe, you're in trouble because you overslept. When you transfer out, you lose a whole group of friends. You have to go right back to civilian life where you don't have any health care, don't have a job, you have no guaranteed paycheck, and your employers don't care."
John continued, "In the military, your life is 100% dependent on the guy on your left and your right. The bond that you build with each other is intense. Nobody on the civilian side will look at the guy sitting in the cubicle next to him and ask, 'You got my life, right?鈥欌
Civilians Supporting Veterans
The best way for civilians to support veterans? "Continued support," John said. "There was a substantial civilian outpouring of support for the military during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now that's tapered off. We're not in a declared war, but the service members are serving in more countries now than we ever have before and we're more fragile than ever before.鈥 But John also notes, 鈥淢y service is done. It doesn't define who I am. But if people want to thank me for my service, a simple thank you, a handshake,鈥 is sufficient. Or, he adds, 鈥渂uy me a beer if you see me at a bar or something.鈥
"When I first got out, I was very proud of my service," Joseph said. "But then, I got tired of telling people, 'Yes, I served.' I get tired of having to put it on a job application. Another way to appreciate a veteran without saying, 'Thank you for your service' is to hang out with us. Give us time. Give us your time. That's a massive way of respecting veterans. Time is precious."
Know a veteran who wants to use their educational benefits to pursue a 独家爆料 certificate program, associate's degree, or bachelor's degree in IT or Public Safety Administration? Encourage them to contact Veteran Services to speak with other veterans who have returned to civilian life and are ready to support them in pursuing their educational goals.