All About Mentoring Spring 2011 - SUNY Empire State College

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War veteran and author of Semper Fi James
Swofford, wrote “ … the most complex and
dangerous conflicts, the most harrowing
operations and the most deadly wars, occur
in the head” (p. 298). Many veterans go for
years without talking about what they have
witnessed or done in war. They don’t think
their families and friends can understand
what they have lived through, and they are
afraid that expressing their thoughts and
especially their feelings will make them look
weak. Writing gives them a way to tell their
stories, and share them when and if they are
ready. One of our military students wrote:
The course’s written assignments
brought my family closer to
understanding my experiences while at
war, and my strange way of looking at
things. I had to write about topics that
I would just as soon forget. This was
a good thing for me. It opened up the
flood gates to my locked up feelings. I
wasn’t comfortable writing at a college
level, so I sent my papers to my family
to proofread them. This was my way of
opening up.
Along with the nonmilitary students in the
study, we had the opportunity to go beyond
preconceived ideas and stereotypes of the
military and to better understand how our
communities, families and soldiers are all
changed by war.
When we asked students to discuss whether
their thinking about war and its impact
changed during the term, and, if so, what
influenced their thinking, their responses
were honest and insightful.
Keeping a journal, interestingly enough,
seems to be especially valued by the students
with military experience. Chris wrote about
the importance of keeping a journal:
I kept up with my journaling every two
or three days and it was a big help to
me. It has helped me put to paper many
feelings that I needed to deal with.
Many of the things I have put down
in my journal have been very thoughtprovoking
and have helped me reopen
many doors of events and emotions
that I have closed and that needed
to be reopened.
Kim, who’d had no military experience,
commented on how important the journal
was for her to sort through what she
was encountering:
I felt that many of the stories we read
triggered many emotions that I was
not always sure where they came from
but after writing in my journal, I was
able to put some of the emotions into
perspective. Having never experienced
war firsthand there were times when it
was very difficult to handle some of the
information that we read. I have never
really talked about war with people
who have served.
Other comments included one man
admitting that the course had required him
to keep an open mind because he so strongly
opposes the current wars, as well as this
statement from someone who thought the
course was going to be quite different:
Prior to attending the course, I expected
to have previous war veterans as
classmates who have recently returned
from Iraq. I had envisioned two hours
of chest pounding and hoorahs from
the participants. On the contrary there
was a mix of people from various
backgrounds who shared very different
views on the subject.
An active-duty military student, who has
served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, wrote:
I never felt judged during the class.
I could speak my mind and true feelings
about war without ever worrying about
being condemned for them or my
actions. If the mood in the classroom
had been different, I never would have
been so outspoken. I actually looked
forward to class, despite working
all day.
Another student veteran wrote:
War Story’s [sic] was brain food for
me … . War Story’s covered every
angle from liberal to conservative, from
war-numb civilian to the war-wrung
veteran. You knew what you had to do,
but how you were to feel, think and
write was up to you.
We learned a great deal about our student
veterans as a cohort from creating and
teaching War Stories. Military students,
we found, often arrive with training and
skills that make them potentially excellent
students. We have found many of them
to be determined and highly disciplined,
attributes that can make them dedicated
and motivated learners. They often arrive
understanding the value of critical and
creative thinking skills, paramount to
problem solving, improvisation and their
survival in combat situations. Military
personnel understand the necessity for good,
clear communication and can be taught
to further develop these skills in writing.
Many people who have served in recent
wars are Reservists and are older. Beyond
their military experience, they have rich
life experience to which they can relate
and connect their learning, making them
potentially deep and committed learners.
As a rule, our student veterans dislike
ambiguity; they like structure and certainty.
The military culture is all about goals,
objectives and timelines. When you can put
academic work in that context it is easier
for them. Respect is big with them, and
they respond well when it is clear that we
respect their experience and perspective.
Empire State College’s many study options,
from online studies to tutorials, allow
veterans to exert control over their learning
environment and increase the chances of
academic success. The college’s mentoring
model provides these students with support
I could speak my mind
and true feelings about
war without ever
worrying about being
condemned for them or
my actions.
and resources that might be more difficult
to learn about on a conventional campus.
The opportunity to build a relationship
with someone who can explain and help the
student veteran with academic decisions may
be invaluable.
Civilian life is slow compared to being
in a combat situation. Active and
recently deployed, and nonactive military
suny empire state college • all about mentoring • issue 39 • spring 2011