As many student veterans know, moving around a lot makes it hard to find yourself in a stable enough environment to attend a brick and mortar school.  Nevertheless, Hayleigh Perez decided she wanted to attend a college in the University of North Carolina system once she finished her military service.  Although originally from Iowa, Hayleigh and her husband had been stationed at Fort Bragg in NC before they deployed to Iraq in 2007.  In 2008 she returned to Charlotte and in 2009, Hayleigh was honorably discharged from the military.  After she left the military, Hayleigh and her husband bought a home in North Carolina and continued to pay property taxes on it while her husband was stationed in Texas.

When he was sent back to North Carolina in 2012, Hayleigh decided she wanted to attend classes at a North Carolina school.  She chose two schools because the Post 9/11 GI Bill covers in state tuitions, so she was shocked to find she didn't qualify.  Apparently, because Hayleigh paid her income taxes to the state of Iowa, she didn't meet the in state standards. 

"I'm an American and I served our great country," she said. "My husband continues to serve and I don't have a state of residency if North Carolina is not considering me a resident."

She is now trying to reverse the decision so she can attend college in North Carolina.

What do you think of this?

Being in the military is a dangerous job and it takes the bravest men and women to protect their country.  Mark Burleson worked detonating bombs in Afghanistan when the worst case scenario happened - the bomb he was disarming detonated in his face.  Mark recieved extensive burns on his face, lost his right arm, and severley injured his left arm.  In fact, the force of the bomb was so extreme, the nerves to Mark's left arm were actually pulled from his spine. 

Thankfully, a new medical procedure enabled the veteran to have full use of his left arm and he is now pain free.  According to CNN, "Using a microscope and a tiny electrode, Belzberg made 140 burns in the damaged nerves dangling from Burleson's spinal cord; nerves intermixed with healthy connections to his lower limbs."

What do you think of this story?

Being a veteran is an honorable and noteworthy status which is why some people, regretfully, try to fabricate their own veteran status so they can get the admiration of others.  While Hollywood celebrities also gain praise for their accomplishments, one man wanted double the respect as a veteran and as a preformer.  On the talent show America's Got Talent, one contestant showed he has a talent for lying as well as singing.

Country singer Timothy Poe walked on stage and introduced himself.  He had a noticible stutter when he spoke which he attributed to a grenade attack in Afghanistan that left him with brain injury.  Tim says he only learned he could sing when his speech pathologist told him to improve his speech patterns by singing in the shower.  After winning the judges over with his talent and sob story, Tim was sent on to the next round.  It was after his appearance on television that magazines started looking into his history. 

"His military records indicate that he served with the Minnesota National Guard in Kosovo from Oct. 10, 2007 until July 15, 2008, and was deployed to Afghanistan from July 28, 2009 to Aug. 30, 2009.  Sgt. Poe's official military records do not indicate that he was injured by a grenade in combat while serving in Afghanistan in 2009, as he reports. The Minnesota National Guard can also confirm that he was not awarded the Purple Heart Medal for wounds sustained in combat," a statement by the Minnesota National Guard read.

How do you feel about this?

Unfortunately, those who go to prison don't fall into a certain demographic.  All kinds of people go in and out of jail each year, but one prison in Florida is aiming to rehabilitate prisoners in a different way.  Here, veterans are seperated from other prisoners.  Their block is identified with a giant American flag mural.  Besides that, their daily routine includes daily flag raising and retiring ceremonies, staff with military backgrounds and the requirement of military standards for clothing, bunks and dorm areas.  The use of profanity is prohibited in these areas and the inmates are encouraged to attend evening group meetings. They are also required to maintain good behavior and be disciplinary report-free.

To be eligible to stay in the veterans portion of the prison, inmates must be verified veterans, within three years of their prison release dates, and must volunteer to live in the special quarter.

“The military emphasizes pride, character and integrity,” said an employee of the Office of Corrections. “By housing veteran inmates in the same dorm before their release from prison, they can work together to recapture some of those qualities, while also learning about programs and benefits available specifically for veterans.”

What do you think of this plan?

The announcement has been made that all military in Iraq will be home by the end of December. People will be waving flags at the airport, tying yellow ribbons to trees, and throwing welcome home parties.  Once the fanfare dies down, these new veterans will have to return to ordinary civilian life and everything that goes with it. 

We already have discussed the difficulty for veterans finding a job.  The national unemployment rate is at 9% and it's higher for veterans: 12.4%.  When these new veterans come home, they will also be looking for jobs which may raise the unemployment rate further.  In addition, psychologists say there is a real chance that these new vets will come home with PTSD.  The worry is not only for the strain this will put on the veterans, but on their families as well.

Even with the negatives, the big positive will be that these new veterans are back on American soil with family and friends.  It may take the help of veterans who have already been home a while and readjusted to civilian life to help the new vets cope.  Creating support groups or even just giving them your number may save someone's life.

Do you think we as a country are ready for the new vets?  If not, what do we need to do?

Veterans have more in common than telling war stories or comparing scars. In fact, some veterans get together to share talent, a love of art, and a drive to support each other.  The National Veterans Creative Arts Festival is put on by the Department of Veteran Affairs and this year, it occurs October 17-23 in Fayetville, Arkansas.  According to the event facebook page, The National Veterans Creative Arts Festival (NVCAF) annually showcases the artistic achievements of veterans being treated at Veterans Administration (VA) facilities across the country. More than 140 winners of art competitions at local VA facilities are invited to participate in the national festival, which includes a week of workshops and tours as well as a grand finale stage show for the singers, dancers, musicians, writers, and actors, and a public exhibition for the visual artists. The Auxiliary is a cosponsor of NVCAF, along with the Department of Veterans Affairs and Help Hospitalized Veterans.

This event is open to everyone but features and honors our veterans.  Proceeds from the event go towards veteran's hospitals. 

Would you be interested in going to this event?

A group of veterans in California contine to serve their country, but this time, they're on a much different battlefield.  Instead of a warzone, their environment is a just as stressful and potentially hostile comedy club.  The GIs of Comedy are composed of five vets that use their wartime experiences to make others laugh.  Army Pvt. Tom Irwin, former Marine Will C., former sailor G. Reilly, and former Army Staff. Sgt. Thom Tran make up the core of the group and Air Force Maj. Jose Sarduy joins in occasionally when he's not teaching others to fly airplanes. 

The diverse group, made up of one African American, one Asian, one Hispanic and two white men, uses their diversity, as well as their military stories, as punchlines.“When we put this tour together it shocked me that, you know, a black guy in the Navy, a Cuban in the Air Force, an Asian in the Army and a white guy in the Corps,” Tran said. “I was like all I need is a Muslim in the Coast Guard.”

Tran, in fact, was shot in the head during combat and credits comedy with saving his life.

Would you see this comedy troupe?  Can war stories be entertaining?

Regardless of what you think of politics, most people are in agreement that the veterans should not have to have the kinds of problems they do reassimilating to life, struggling to find a job, and worrying about money.  In his speech August 31, President Obama discussed the hardships associated with veterans returning back to every day life. 

"As a nation, we’re facing tough choices as we put our fiscal house in order.  But I want to be absolutely clear — we cannot, and we must not, balance the budget on the backs of our veterans.  And as commander in chief, I won’t allow it," Obama said.  "“For the sake of our veterans, for the sake of our economy, we need these veterans working and contributing and creating the new jobs and industries that will keep America competitive in the 21st century."

He touched on finding jobs for veterans, although he didn't say how he planned on finding them jobs. 

Do you think it will get easier for veterans to find jobs?