S l 11 l{ 0 U ~ lJ I X G \r F ~ rl E I~ A ~ S AT HARDING 13)' Claire Patton For student \·eterans, adjusting to college life after serYing or while sening the linited States was often difficult. Many came in as non-traditional students, having enlisted in the military right after high school and enrolling into college after their seni(e. The \ 'etcrans Association's goal was to help \'elerans become more comfortable in a uni\·ersity setting. J\ssi tant professor of hi tory Shawn Fisher said the organization' principle job was to prO\·ide a support network and help ease the transition from military to ci\ilian life. ''We get together and [the veterans] are able to talk about their military experiences, r as well as] their difficulties and understa nding [of the] faculty, students, rules and culture of the school," Fi her said. Fi her ser;ed in the National Guard 25 year· and after was on active duty. For him, the transition to college life was difficult because Harding did not haYe a \'etcrans Association at the time. He thought other student \·eterans would feel the same way. Junior \·ctera n Luke Johnson said being in college after se n ·ing in the military was difficult. "Veteran , especially coming back from combat, want to retreat from everything becau.e they feel .afer in their own little bubble, and that's one of the worst things you can do," Johnson said. "Dealing \"rith student who have never gone through anything like what we've been through is difficult - not impossible, but difficult." The Veteran Association held regular breakfast and cookouts where tudent and faculty who serYed in \'arious branches of the military could come and talk about their experience . Adjunct professor Steven Cooper, who serYed in the :-Javy, contributed money toward a scholarship specifically for veterans. "l knew there wasn't much for veteran., especially those who were not active-duty veterans," Cooper aid. '·They don't get the ame kind of benefits. I go co the Veterans As ociation meeting and meet them when there is a special event that's going on, and [al o J when there's an American Studies speaker [in which] they invite veterans." According to Fisher, Harding was very supportive of the association and of the military. The Veterans Association teamed up many times with oth r groups and departments on campu in order to blend in \\rith the group community. The Veterans Association held two fundraisers per year, where Harding students could get involved and contribute to a cause of the veterans' choosing, whether it was donating money to homele s veterans or sending Christmas cards to troops overseas. "v\Te're not here to prop up military senrice,"Johnson said. "\ \That we're here to do i to show that our experiences as veterans can run right along [students' cxperiencesl as ci\·ilians, because we're all Christians and we all have the same commands to live by. Our experiences give u a different kind of perspective on how to do those thing." Eucutive 1•ice president D1: Da1•id Collins, pro1•osl D,: .\lar(J' Sj;ears. former p1wosl Dr. Lan)' l ong and president D r. Bruce /vlc l arty pose for a picture with lieutenant Colonel Fe/lure, Captain Bradle_1· Dieu//o and Colonel .\loraleJ after a meeting with the l'eterans Association in April 20 I 6. T he association wanted lo 1 ark toward being invoh•ed with other grou/1s and clubs on camp10 lo not seem as separate and cut off from other students andfarul(y. I Photo courtesy of Christopher Allison
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