By John Burton
MIDDLETOWN – From a battlefield – or even a military installation or ship in non-war zones – coming back home to the classroom can be a long journey.
Brookdale Community College is hoping to ease that transition with the establishment of its Veterans Center.
The center at the college’s main campus at 765 Newman Springs Road serves as a “one-stop shop” for veterans’ benefits and for the vets as they attempt to wade through red tape and find their place on campus and in an academic environment.
“It’s even tough for us to navigate” the system sometimes, “and we know the lingo” and where to go, said Eleanor Glazewski, the college’s associate registrar who is also the Veterans Administration (VA) certifying official.
The center, housed in the former student health center, offers an understanding and appreciation for what the vets have to sometimes go through to make their way. The suite of offices and lounge area combines services that had been dispersed around in various offices in a number of different buildings, Glazewski said.
Brookdale has about 300 veterans who currently are receiving benefits under the Post 9-11 G.I. Bill. Glazewski didn’t have numbers for other veterans who may be enrolled but not getting those benefits.
She said those they serve aren’t necessarily lost “because that’s not a good word, but they’re trying to find their way.”
About two-thirds of those 300 served in either Iraq or Afghanistan, some in both war zones and often for multiple deployments, Glazewski said.
They range in age from about 23 to 35. Being a little older than the majority of students in their classes offers some challenges as compared to other students entering Brookdale straight from high school, Glazewski said.
John Keller, a 28-year-old West Long Branch resident and a Brookdale graduate who served with the U.S. Army in Iraq and Afghanistan, said he was “very nervous at first, a lot of anxiety at first.
“I was more nervous in a math test than I was in an Iraq patrol,” Keller said.
For Christopher Drummonds, a 12-year Navy veteran who’s majoring in history, “It definitely was a culture shock coming back to the classroom after being out of the classroom for 12 years.”
When Drummonds was the age of more traditional-age students, he said, “My biggest complaint was what if my M-16 or my Beretta handgun failed. Their biggest complaint is, God forbid, their iPhone doesn’t connect to Wi-Fi.”
Along with being a centralized area for services and benefits information, the veterans center also provides an area, a “chill space,” as Glazewski called it, for vets to come, hang out and talk. It also serves as a location for the regular meetings of the student veterans club.
The club is not a huggy, “Kumbaya” support group-sort-of-thing, Glazewski said. But rather a place “where they can talk to someone who’s like them.
“As a group, they’re kind of connecting,” she said.
Keller, who was president of the veterans club while he attended the college, said the club, “definitely helps veterans out to transition.”
Drummonds, who is the club’s current vice president, said the organization is a comforting experience. “It felt like you were sitting back in a VFW (Veterans of Foreign War lodge) without the beer, sitting there and telling old stories.”
Under the most recent G.I. bill, veterans can receive 100 percent tuition payment, $2,200 a month housing allowance, $41.67 per credit for book purchases. Along with those benefits, veterans may qualify for unemployment payments and may be eligible for financial aid, according to Glazewski.
Along with offering counseling on education benefits, the center will have guest speakers from the Veterans Administration talk about other available benefits, such as health care and pertinent topics, she said.
Many veterans may initially struggle with getting acclimated, but by and large they find their way, Glazewski said. ”Many do have a game plan” and are – like many older, returning students – disciplined and structured.
When he returned to school Keller “was really ready at that point. I was focused.”
Keller acknowledged he was a terrible student in high school. Even after getting out of the service in April 2009, “I kind of partied for a while,” traveling, still trying to get his bearings, he said. “I had an awesome time.”
But he then settled down and cracked the books. “I wanted to go to class. I wanted to work,” he said. “I think that made a huge difference.”
After Brookdale, Keller continued his education at New Jersey City University in Jersey City, earning his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice in May and just started work as a New Jersey State Trooper.
Drummonds, who grew up in Middletown, is “older than your average college freshman” and has traveled to 58 countries on six continents during his 12-year career in the Navy. Ultimately, he hopes to go to law school and work in business or real estate law.
He’s thankful for the benefits he’s receiving to help make his future plans a reality. But, the benefits were earned, he stressed.
“As veterans we put our life on the line,” he said. “This is the reimbursement we get for what we did for our country.”
About 80 percent of the 300 veterans are men with the most majoring in criminal justice, Glazewski said. They are hoping for careers with local of federal law enforcement entities or with intelligence agencies, like the FBI, CIA and the Department of Homeland Security.
While some women veterans major in criminal justice too, many opt for business administration and education, nursing, Glazewski said.
