Existing in Higher Education as a Post-9/11 United States Veteran: Challenges and Opportunities

The journey to Iraq and beyond is not as straightforward as one might think. The author of this piece was an older recruit when he joined the military, as a surprising number of medics in his unit were. Moral Foundations Theory guides this article, as it is the learned beliefs the author has from a child that influenced many of the decisions he made, which are discussed herein. The goals of this article are to first supply a background that helps situate the author’s lived experiences, second to share some of those lived experiences to provide greater context, and third to illustrate how the author’s military service shaped his experiences in the academy as an undergraduate student, graduate student, and faculty member. The author hopes this article helps those unfamiliar with the military understand what their students and colleagues, especially those who have served since September 11, 2001, experience and gain a new perspective. The author also hopes this article helps other military veterans who may have had similar experiences realize that they are not alone.