The American Legion W.R.I.T.E.S

The American Legion Western Region Information & Technology Exchange Service.

This is a site is devoted to the free and open exchange of ideas and applications of pertinent information and technology to The American Legion.


Friday, March 13, 2009

Student Veterans

There have been a lot of activities recently from the Students Veterans of America regarding how to advance student veterans’ issues and concerns. The SVA leadership sincerely believes that student veterans need to get involved in The American Legion because we have the experience and expertise to offer mentorship to the younger generation of veterans hoping to advocate for their own initiatives. Below you will see a example of a very thoughtful response to a student veteran regarding two issues: 1. The acceptance of military credits by colleges and universities; 2. The truthfulness of our military recruiters.

From the response you will see that our mentor from The American Legion Department of California carefully laying out counter arguments and actionable directions for our young veterans (I have removed their names to protect their privacy):


Dear Ms. (student veteran),

The reason I structured my statements the way that I did was because, in order to structure a resolution-type action within the American Legion, you must be able to clearly address the issue, and then provide an "action" to be forwarded.

I do have sympathy for your situation with recruiters, however, the word you used was "equivalent." Many fields/MOS specialties have "equivalent" counterparts in the civilian world. Some of the Army training I went to was very technical and had highly paid counterparts in the civilian world, but, if I wanted a civilian rating or degree, I had to either pay the fees associated with it, or take the certification testing required to get the "civilian rating." I think the issue of "credit" would be better stated to "encourage the military education/training programs to, as much as is reasonable, coordinate with a college in the area to include the equivalent syllabus materials, so that students graduating from the course, can pay the fees associated with the credit, upon successful completion of the course." (My attendance at CAS3 only resulted in one Masters Level Statistics or Calculus credit through one of the military-friendly Colleges, I don't remember which one. I paid the fees associated with that credit and was given a copy of the college transcript.) I think that is a fair solution, given that the college has not taught the class and are trusting that the military has taught the college's class syllabus. I do not think it fair that any college be required to accept course credit of any other institution, given that the degree that would be received, would be theirs, and their name is on the line. If I could say it another way...it would be like if I created a tool, then took it to Sears, and then demanded that they put it into their inventory as a Craftsman's tool. It is not reasonable to think that they would. It may be a great tool, but it is not a Craftsman. To take that a step back to the military, many of the medical fields require State Certificates in addition to the college training/classes. Many are not "degree producing" certificate programs, such as blood taking etc.

As for "truth is advertising" of the recruiters, I would approach that as a resolution that would be couched in a way that said something like, "As the military is under great change, it is particularly important that recruiters are kept up to date with the latest changes...etc..." As I have sworn in many troops since I moved here, I always ask the person being sworn what they have been promised. I am a firm believer that both parties have the responsibility to be both truthful and transparent in what they are offering and asking. Both are signing documents that should say what is promised. If you think about it, there are very few places of military training that offer "degrees." The service academies would be one example, but even that is a degree from the academy, and not of civilian college.

Your mentioned the GI Bill. There is a new one in place. If you need more personal help with what your benefits are, there should be a county office called "Veteran Service Office" in your area. They are just like the old Personnel Action Centers. They are a wonderful resource for discovering what benefits you are entitled to, as well as finding out about unique programs in your area.

Bottom Line: You will have to decide for yourself which direction you want to go with these issues. If you join a local post, they can help you in the wording of any resolution you might want to have voted on. If it passes your local area it is forwarded up through the channels just like the military does. Some of your general issues with education should probably be left in the political/civilian side of the issue. You will need to get to know your local political representatives.

Hope this helps,
Sincerely,
(The American Legion Departmetn of California Mentor to Student Veterans)

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