> why didn't you use the GI bill to get free college?
I did. I went back for a semester, but the money wasn't enough in my area. I found myself working part time and going to school full time, then eventually doing both full time. The stress got to me and I dropped out again.
> Most universities will accept any veteran who has a GED or HS diploma
Maybe now, but this is not true as far as my experience goes. The only college that would take me at the time was a community college. I assume this is because I had dropped out mid-semester before. Some context, I was in the DEP and was selected early, so I left with about a weeks notice (This was 2009). When I applied to four year universities I was rejected fairly quickly.
> I find it alarming how many veterans never use the benefits they earned in their service.
Same, however, I think there's tell-tale signs of why.
Loss in institutional trust is one:
- The VA provides pretty abysmal care in most places with long waiting lines and subpar coverage. I, up until recently, have been missing a tooth that they extracted in-service and told me the VA would replace with an implant. They would never agree to finishing the work the Navy started.
- I've also had the VA fight with me over what bills need to be covered under disability and which I needed to pay for, with them pursuing my tax return at one point (When I really needed that money.)
- Proving disability with the VA was litigious. Around they time I gave up they started demanding I show up at some court in Waco, TX which was hours from where I lived. If I went to an outside doctor, I needed to have cash to cover whatever they wanted to do because the VA would frequently protest paying my medical bills - even at VA locations.
Another is the lack of post-service programs. I really needed help getting my life back on track, dealing with issues in mental health, etc -- these services were either sparse or did not exist where I was at the time. In the military I was given a week long course called "Seps & TAPS".
Last, and maybe not least, I was exhausted. I spent a total of a year in country and returned to civilianhood right around a year after I got back. Having to go to school full time and having to make up for what the Post 9/11 GI Bill wasn't covering wore me to the bone, along with dealing with the VA - who would always insist I skipped work to come see them.
That's horrible and I feel for your struggle. I've gotten lucky to be able to navigate the VA very easily, or I had good guides when I was separating and filing for disability and other separation concerns. I was in the Navy as well, but I was always in non-combat zones so I was lucky my disability was not related to combat injuries. I wish I could do something about the VA, but alas I'm not a powerful person or politician, so I can only gripe and complain about people I've known who went through shitty situations.
I was in the Marines, but my medical care was entirely provided by the Navy, with a few exceptions.
I'm not sure what to do about the VA. I gave up using it and any passive improvements they've made will not be enough, in my mind, to make me a customer again. The VA isn't the only problem, imo, though - really the problem is societal. People will give lip service and outrage to these problems, others will decry any form of action or empathy as hero worship. Basically, veterans became both aliens and political chess pieces to larger society. We have the reputation of being ghosts, in the form of never speaking about our pasts, and it allows people to make up mythology about us and our struggles.
My way of combating this, is sometimes I'll share "war stories", but they're usually funny ones. The real war stories I share are the stories of me coming back, where I'm not wearing a uniform anymore. Mundane stories about mental health, substance abuse, lack of opportunity, medical problems, etc are what the public really needs to hear; lest they get to thinking you're just a bum.
> why didn't you use the GI bill to get free college?
I did. I went back for a semester, but the money wasn't enough in my area. I found myself working part time and going to school full time, then eventually doing both full time. The stress got to me and I dropped out again.
> Most universities will accept any veteran who has a GED or HS diploma
Maybe now, but this is not true as far as my experience goes. The only college that would take me at the time was a community college. I assume this is because I had dropped out mid-semester before. Some context, I was in the DEP and was selected early, so I left with about a weeks notice (This was 2009). When I applied to four year universities I was rejected fairly quickly.
> I find it alarming how many veterans never use the benefits they earned in their service.
Same, however, I think there's tell-tale signs of why.
Loss in institutional trust is one:
- The VA provides pretty abysmal care in most places with long waiting lines and subpar coverage. I, up until recently, have been missing a tooth that they extracted in-service and told me the VA would replace with an implant. They would never agree to finishing the work the Navy started.
- I've also had the VA fight with me over what bills need to be covered under disability and which I needed to pay for, with them pursuing my tax return at one point (When I really needed that money.)
- Proving disability with the VA was litigious. Around they time I gave up they started demanding I show up at some court in Waco, TX which was hours from where I lived. If I went to an outside doctor, I needed to have cash to cover whatever they wanted to do because the VA would frequently protest paying my medical bills - even at VA locations.
Another is the lack of post-service programs. I really needed help getting my life back on track, dealing with issues in mental health, etc -- these services were either sparse or did not exist where I was at the time. In the military I was given a week long course called "Seps & TAPS".
Last, and maybe not least, I was exhausted. I spent a total of a year in country and returned to civilianhood right around a year after I got back. Having to go to school full time and having to make up for what the Post 9/11 GI Bill wasn't covering wore me to the bone, along with dealing with the VA - who would always insist I skipped work to come see them.