From the Front Line to the Dean's List

Military Discipline Leads to Success in School

Sep 18, 2009 Christopher Pascale

A military enlistment can be four years of hard work, sweat, and discipline. The best service members get through it and take the lessons they learn with them.

A common phrase many people have heard is, "school is not for everyone."

While this may be true, it is not true for many service members who go from high school into the armed forces. In fact, many service members leave the military to find extraordinary success in school despite their previous experiences.

One such serviceman is Sergeant Charles Betros, a former marine who served as a combat engineer on tours through South East Asia and Falluja, Iraq. Betros, who had joined the Corps following a less-than-impressive high school career, is currently on the Dean's List at San Jacinto College in Houston, TX, using the GI Bill to supplement his income while managing a carpet warehouse as he pursues a bachelor's degree in computer science.

Anyone who knew Betros years ago might not see his future looking so bright, but there are certain key elements that time on active duty affords a person.

Service Members Do Things That They Don't Want To

Many enlistees join the service with very specific ideas in mind. For example, a potential recruit may join to become a legal aide so that he or she can gain experience working in a law office.

However, that week, the military may not need legal aides nearly as much as they need bulk fuel specialists (gas pumpers) and future legal eagles may be earning their stripes while learning to manage fuel instead of preparing wills and powers or attorney.

Some may say that this is a breach of contract, and it may be if the contract was signed promising a specific job, but the typical military contract is usually signed with options open for the military to fulfill its needs as it sees fit. When this happens, people on active duty just deal with it. There might be much griping, whining, and complaining, but while there is (and there is) the mission is being completed.

During this time of doing many things they do not want to do, service members realize, in the very least, what they would rather do.

Military People Show up on Time or Early

A common phrase in the military is "fifteen minutes early is on-time, and on-time is late."

After four years of showing up to work before formation with the latter part of it managing those in the lower ranks, a person becomes accustomed to showing up early for appointments, class, or work hours. And when they think they are going to be late, they extend the courtesy of a phone call.

Former Military People Have a Larger Picture of the World

Many young people today are operating with a narrow view supplemented by opinions formed in theory and hearsay. While this does not end after a tour in the military, four years of hard work and seeing the world gives one a new perspective of what they think they know.

This unique point of view is often appreciated by professors who desire intellectual stimulation as much as the best students.

Veterans Have the Montgomery and Post-9/11 GI Bills

The last piece of this education puzzle that leads to veterans having so much success is the GI Bill. Whether one is utilizing the MGIB or the new Post-9/11 GI Bill, having money to attend school is a tremendous relief for any student. On top of this, veterans can often take advantage of the Pell grant, which is obtained by filling out their FAFSA forms.

The Pell Grant alone can pay for text books and tuition at community colleges, allowing veterans to sustain themselves in relative comfort with the money they receive from the VA while obtaining their associates degree.

How Military Experience Ties Together for Successful Schooling

Bringing this all together, veterans get the job done that is assigned to them. When they were in the military, they might have been told to clean toilets, and they quickly learned that, despite their intentions, cleaning toilets was what they had signed up for when they enlisted.

After four years of doing many things they did not want to do with people they did not like in places they did not want to be, completing a paper for English class on time takes no effort at all, especially if it leads them to the career field they'd prefer over the last one they dealt with.

Missing class leads to falling grades. Chad Dirksen, a former marine sergeant, recalls his time in Okinawa, Japan. The sick bay was several miles away. Getting a day off for being sick meant that a navy corpsman had to assign one to quarters. However, if one was well enough to make it all the way there, then he was well enough to go to work. After four years, showing up- rain or shine- is a tough habit to break.

And finally, having money to go to school and avoid the tremendous debts that are almost guaranteed is a huge plus. While veterans are not as stressed out over money, they are expanding their base of knowledge, and sharing what they have seen of the world with other students and teachers who know that they are tomorrow's leaders.

The copyright of the article From the Front Line to the Dean's List in American Affairs is owned by Christopher Pascale. Permission to republish From the Front Line to the Dean's List in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

After Four Years, Vets Know What They'd Like to do