Fort Lewis College student Jake Yost suffered from depression during his transition into civilian and student life after a five-year stint in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Yost, 31, served in the Navy for the 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion as a hospital corpsman, which is often considered the seagoing version of an army medic.
Veterans pursuing higher education face a number of obstacles, from a feeling of isolation to not being able to relate to their peers.
Yost was among them.
He said adjusting to academic life was difficult because it does not have the same kind of companionship that exists in the military.
“In the military, we have such a close, tight-knit group,” he said. “When I didn’t have those guys to rely on anymore day to day, I didn’t know what to do. There is no set schedule, and I lost interest in a lot of stuff.”
Veteran Gary Pelletier, also an FLC student, said relating to his academic peers is challenging.
He was in active duty for 24 years before retiring from the armed forces about a year ago. He then began to pursue a degree in mathematics alongside his wife and oldest son, who also are students.
“The job that I did over the last 16 years was very dynamic, so we trained a lot,” said Pelletier, who is 45. “I got used to learning a lot very quickly. It has been more difficult relating to students. For one, I am quite a bit older than my peers, and two, I have a different perspective.”
FLC spokesman Mitch Davis said there are about 50 veterans currently enrolled at the college. The school offers veterans several benefits to recognize their contributions and sacrifices while serving in the military.
“Just within the past few months, the college passed a stipulation that dependents of honorably discharged veterans can receive in-state tuition at Fort Lewis College,” Davis said.
In addition to in-state tuition for all veterans, the college created the Jeff Kuss Memorial Scholarship, established in honor of the alumnus and Marine captain who died in a jet crash in Tennessee in 2016. Kuss was a Blue Angels pilot.
The scholarship supports students who are military veterans, or children of military veterans.
Yost said his life was sort of aimless when he enlisted.
“I found a direction through the military,” he said. “After retiring, I geared all my focus toward the Department of Veterans Affairs. I am trying to come up with a career where I can best serve the veterans coming back with post-traumatic stress disorder.”
PTSD can be amplified if, like Yost, veterans are fearful that when they enroll in or return to college, people will express their anti-war feelings.
“When I decided to go to a small liberal arts college, I did not know how people would perceive what I had done,” he said. “I’ve never had anyone actively express disgust. I just get weird questions sometimes. People will ask me, ‘How many people have you killed?’ That can be frustrating sometimes.”
Through a major in theater, Yost is exploring drama therapy and its effect on people with PTSD.
He plans to shift gears to pursue a master’s degree in psychology after graduating in the spring.
To try to mimic military camaraderie, Yost took on the job of being president of the Student Veterans Club at FLC.
“We are trying to get this club back on its feet,” he said. “We are trying to get more community involvement. Involvement comes in waves, and it is difficult to maintain a presence.”
The goal is to create a veterans resource center on campus.
“We want to get a space for veterans to have conversations with one another,” Yost said. “The club makes it easier to connect with like-minded people. Even if you don’t know that person, you become friends because of similar backgrounds.”
Pelletier served for eight years in the Navy and 16 years in the Air Force.
“I was a reservist living in Oklahoma when Sept. 11 happened,” he said. “I found it to be a difficult time to progress in the civil workforce because I kept having to deploy.”
Pelletier is a military veteran, but recognizing vets on a federal holiday isn’t for him.
“Veterans Day for me is different in that the brothers I have lost over the years I think of every day, and a single day to pay homage really isn’t necessary,” he said.
mrupani@durangoherald.com
Veterans Day events
Breakfast and lunch, 7 a.m., Southwest Memorial Hospital, 1311 N. Mildred Road, Cortez.
Parade, 11 a.m., Main Avenue, downtown Durango.
Open houses, 12:30 p.m. at the Veterans of Foreign Wars, 1550 Main Ave., and the American Legion, 878 East Second Ave.
Celebration, 3 p.m., including speakers and music by the Cannondolls, Durango Transit Center, 250 W. Eighth St.
Fireworks, 5:30 p.m. Some seating will be provided for the concert and fireworks. But residents are encouraged to bring their own chairs. The parking lot at the Transit Center will close at noon ahead of the afternoon events.
