Veteran Students

Brodie07

5-Year Member
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Apr 6, 2011
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Occasionally comments are made suggesting that the Citadel is less of a SMC because it accepts veteran students. These students do not live in the barracks and are unfortunately only an extremely small number of the student body. Unfortunately, because these students bring tremendous value to the college. DS, who is not commissioning, has nothing but respect for these students. During this past parent's weekend, DS told us a little about one of his teammates. This veteran of several hostile deployments, was under the command of a Citadel graduate. This student was so impressed with his commander that he decided to attend the Citadel, and will be commissioned as a Lt upon graduation.

DS comes from a military background and is not easily impressed; however, he is impressed by the caliber of veteran students and the life experiences they share with the cadets. I imagine that the commissioning cadets also find these veteran students inspiring. The veteran students, positive roles models, are a reminder of what commissioning cadets are working toward.
 
Good point--but I think folks might be critical of on-line or other "distance degree" programs at SMCs, not the veteran's programs.
 
February 25, 2013
New Yell Leaders, Including Combat Vet, Took Different Paths To Aggieland

The newly elected yell leaders for Texas A&M University come with different backgrounds – certainly including Roy May, whose 12-year army career took him to Iraq and included service as a sentinel at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and rescue and recovery efforts at the Pentagon following the 9/11 terrorist attack – but they all had becoming an Aggie as their goal.
. . .

Yell leaders are elected by the student body and serve in a variety of high-profile capacities, most visibly at football games and other athletic events as they lead Aggies and Aggie fans in “yells” in support of their teams. All of the yell leaders this year are members of the Corps of Cadets, which is often — but not always — the case. All are 21 years old, except for May, who is 33.

May, who was born in College Station, is a sophomore member of the corps’ veteran’s unit, Delta Company and is an industrial distribution major. His journey started 12 years ago when he joined the Army and that took him to Washington, where he served as a sentinel at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery, aided in rescue and recovery in the Pentagon following the attacks of 9/11 and included the honor of standing at the head of the late President Reagan’s casket as he lay in state in the Capitol.

May also served with the 82nd Airborne Division as a squad leader in the 1st of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, where he also deployed as a combat squad leader to Iraq in 2009.

He says Texas A&M has always been a part of his life because his father was Class of ’66 and his sister was Class of ’95. “I have been bleeding maroon since the day I was born, but I certainly took an alternate route to get here,” May says.

After his deployment to Iraq, he came to a crossroads. “Though I loved my experiences in the Army, as an Aggie at heart, I made the decision to forego staying in active service so I could come and earn my degree at Texas A&M. Every day I walk on campus I realize how blessed I am to be an Aggie and a junior yell leader,” he notes.

May is married and has a seven-year-old daughter. He is believed to be the first married yell leader since shortly after the end of World War II.

. . .
Whatever obstacles they had to overcome on this journey to Aggieland, and no matter how long it took to get here, all five yell leaders agree that they are lucky to be attending what they consider to be the “greatest university in the world.” They say it is an honor and privilege to serve as yell leader.

http://tamutimes.tamu.edu/2013/02/2...combat-vet-took-different-paths-to-aggieland/
 
Great post Lawman. Only the ignorant post comments about schools they never attended.
 
Great post Lawman. Only the ignorant post comments about schools they never attended.

It is quite possible to have valid and relevant second hand knowledge of a school you haven't attended, but it should be acknowledged as such. I think most people here welcome posts that positively contribute to the conversation, regardless of the source.
 
I stand corrected on my last comment and agree with you Jcc. Most comments on this board are positive in nature with obvious exceptions. I personally have tremendous respect for anyone that attends a SMC. We should all be cheerleaders of our individual schools without bickering over the differences.
 
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