Veteran suspended from school seemingly for being a veteran? How are veterans still being treated like this?

2015-06-04T15:59:00-04:00

Normally I avoid these types of inflammatory discussions but I have been seeing too much of this lately. This is another instance of a veteran being mistreated by a civilian entity. How is it so hard for civilians to work with veterans? This seems like a simple issue yet the school has blown it out of proportion. I know there are many things already going on to address these issues, but what else can we do?
http://www.gruntstyle.com/content/cat/articles/post/Rawls/

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 4 at 2015 4:19 PM

2015-06-04T16:19:53-04:00

Your right , it does seem like people , groups , organizations and schools have an AX to grind with Americas Veterans. In time were going to change that , hang tough.

Response by SSG Trevor S. made Jun 4 at 2015 5:32 PM

2015-06-04T17:32:31-04:00

SGT James Elphick I have been semi-successful and also slightly frustrated in my transition to the civilian world. I see issues that Veterans can address on their own. For instance we can re-learn the civilian language, we can adapt some of our conversation topics to those that have greater interest to our civilian counter parts, and sometimes we can just tone everything down a bit. That does not mean there isn't a growing prejudice followed by discriminatory action toward Veterans. I have personally been through a few:
1. During multiple job interviews I was told that my experience set does not match the "environment of the company".
2. I applied for a customer facing job. A hiring manager that thought she was well meaning said, "We have warehouse jobs that don't have face time with customers. It would allow you to,,,,,adjust to life after service." That's right she wanted me to sit in the back of the bus.
3. Recently a co-worker was having a gab session with another co-worker and slipped about how the other Veteran they were talking about, "Must have had something happen to them during the war." Then they realized I was in the room and their faces turned red and the conversation shut down.
4. An employer's HR representative telling me, "It will be ok if you just declare any PTSD meds." When giving me instructions on how to take a pre-employment urinalysis.
These are the stand out instances that I remember and don't even count the instances of amazement at conditions and such that we have endured in housing while deployed, ect...At times it seems civilians are equal parts jealous and hold a certain level of awe, mixed with fear. We can only do so much to address this on our end. At some point it is time for civilian leaders to step up and say something about their atrocious behavior.

Response by LCpl Mark Lefler made Jun 4 at 2015 5:47 PM

2015-06-04T17:47:52-04:00

I think the counselor being Arab clearly was an issue for him and for her, but I think they both made assumptions about the other that probably were not true, in that way they were both wrong. Though I do not see why the school couldn't have given him another counselor, they had to have more then one counselor, can't see how it could be a big deal.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Jun 5 at 2015 2:57 PM

2015-06-05T14:57:15-04:00

I am glad he is fighting it. It looks like he has been discriminated due to a disability.

Response by SSgt Harvey "Skip" Porter made Dec 20 at 2017 12:41 AM

2017-12-20T00:41:22-05:00

This is absolutely ludicrous.
Peace!

Response by SSgt Boyd Herrst made Sep 17 at 2019 8:10 PM

2019-09-17T20:10:11-04:00

In my sitrep.. I wasn’t a Veteran but a AFJROTC Cadet looking to join the AF
Reserve. There was some resistance by some teachers that lost the fight to bring the junior ROTC program to the school. I
Had already went through a sitrep to. Transfer to a junior high whose 9th grade was at the high school I wanted to go to to be in the AFJROTC. I moved in with a friend for a year, his dad became my foster dad that year. (My own dad and a circuit judge got a deal worked out with the school district for me to do that. I moved into my friend Vis a box of personal belongings that were actually too small. I still lived at my real parents . That was the 1st part.. later, when in beginning of 11th grade year(‘69) I was in the blues about the AFJROTC and I wanted MORE... and I begin by researching how to get into the AF Reserve by my17th B-day. And still stay
In School. Yes, I would have to leave the cadet program. I had completed all the special extra curriculars to complete the basic Cadet Program. The final was an equal to the College program (Falcon award) it was a Hap Arnold Award. Civil Air
Patrol had it but it was a higher reward in AFJROTC signaling completion . In C.A.P. The Billy Mitchsl Award signaled that and made a cadet eligible to be an E-3 A1C
Upon completion of BMT and backdated to Day 1 of BMT. I could of stayed in C.A.P. But I wanted MORE and when the AFJROTC was to be instituted in the High school I wanted to be a part. Now back to that time in ‘69 and I was researching the Reserve program. Something kept catching my eye and my mind begin working . The AF Reserve had a brochure that said the AF Reserve was like working a “Part time jobl”. Well I wanted that ! And determined to get it. My own Congressman wasn’t much help.. He didn’t help me in later years when I was trying to get him to help a Airman from up north Mi. To get a hardship discharge, but that’s a story for a different time. So I went to visit a senator from another part of Michigan.. no actually it was Wisconsin.. he kept tryi v to kick me back to Michigan’s Rep in Congress.. I told him he acted like I was just a little kid trying to grow up to quick(he wa prob’ly right in. That respect. Well, Wis. U.S. Rep became enamored after I praised his skill to keep camp McCoy open.. And I didn’t even have to move to Wisconsin or “fake move to Wisconsin” like I did in Michigan with the Judge who put his own career on the line. The Wis. Rep knew Some top AF Reserve Officers in the Guard and Reserve that worked to help me. They spoke to my people in the school district about making little promises that I wouldn’t go on deploys to foreign countries in time of war(the dumb teachers didn’t even know a soldier or Airman or Sailor or Marine prob’ly would not deploy to a actual war zone until 18.
They would be doing a lot of training that 1st year readying them to be able to deploy. Part would be doing their skts and CDCs and OJT in the job skill .. Well everything was “hunky-dory” mbetween the Reserve Officers and NCOs that made
gentlemen’s and gentlelady’s agreements
(And of course the needs of the Service came first over personal promises and gentle persons agreements). I had taken that battery a few times. They only redid it a few times (rewording, clarifying terms in question). I passed it with a 98% score. I think I did better but they were not going to let some 17 year old get the best of America’s Military test writers.. I suppose it’s been done but they would not admit to it.. So that summer I signed the contract , my Cadet certificate was Vetted /accepted and I went for my physicals that summer and I took a Bypass SKT for a Cook AFSC(my high school had a vo-tech program). If they had had aircraft mechanic I would of took that.. besides I was a much better Cook than a machine nut turner.. I knew enough but turning to twmporarily fix a Hobart dish machine or some other Hobart machine. Basically the stuff holding the machine and motor connected to each other.. we were required to learn some of that so we could explain to the Hobart people over the phone what the prob was if in that area.
So Summer is over and I spend a few extra weeks at Lackland.. they said s’thing about paperwork transferring me back to Reserves .. it was more than discharging me from AF and resigning me into Reserve again.. seriously? .. ok, You got me where you need me .. that extra time there gave me full complete paychecks as an active A1C. I returned Home with a decent wad of cash and a check voucher copy to my C.U. account
at home which I verified again when I got
Home and went to see if my money was actually on the books(Why Boyd, don’t you trust us? You guys really want to know that answer ? I do, I don’t trust the electronics to get it to you! ). I had a couple teachers that actually admitted they hoped I got booted out of BMT. And they admitted it in front of my classmates
Inside I was hurt a some.. did I expect that kind of behavior? Some.. they were liberals that’s who they are ! It’s how some think .. I had some classmates
That were raised by liberal parents did their parents act like that? I think some feigned saying they were happy I did good, but I could kinda tell later they were forcing the words to come out. they asked me to not push their child to join.
I told them the AF and Reserves and Air Guard are the safest branches to join. There are mishaps in all of them.. sometimes an Airman’s own doing by
a misunderstanding. Sometimes other reasons.... I finally get the parents to talk to recruiters.. they even get films they the parents can watch with their youth.. to give them an understanding of AF life.. I’ve assist recruited 20 or so classmates to join. Maybe not right away but after thinking about it, checking other options ..
had a couple buds who scholarships fell through due to a misunderstanding of certain requirements of them.. one wasn’t a scholarship but a grant, his mother got a raise and that killed the grant.(pell grant?).. maybe some other grant. One lost a sports scholarship because he played too much summer ball in a youth league.. I s’pose.? .He joined and was assigned to MWR (Morale welfare recreation. He was assigned to base gym)
He also played on the Base team. And coached the dependents youth league sports.. Others qualified in other AFSCs
As time went.. Another guy I know took the Bypass skt and misunderstood phrasing of the questions .. there are no actual “trick questions”. Just have to watch the wording.. some may be intentional .. I caught a few, although I didn’t know I did and I answered them correctly.. good thing I got a lot of rest the night before.. we had a lot of physical detail for a Sunday afternoon. Our MTI
Loved making points using others physical labor-we pulled a bunch of dead shrubbery that was planted in sand/dirt mix.. 30 bushes and reworked the wood chips to make it look like no shrubs were ever there.. Our BMTS Cmdr drove past the barracks .. and not seeing the dead shrubbery kept on driving.. what a about the sign? I wasn’t looking for no sign, just the dead shrubs, 1SGT ! Cmdr was a 2d Lt. Who put on 1st a few months after I left .. (and they put him in charge of a BMTS?...lord help us please ? ).. So that trainee flubbed an otherwise easy bypass test, at least I thought so!.. He ended up going to Cook school at Fort Lee anyway and would get his 3 level after 8 weeks.
I don’t know where he ended up. Oh yes I do ! He ended up in ‘Arid’zona .. He was from Nevada so not too far from home.. except his home was way up to the top of the state .. close to Idaho..that would have been better, but the AF doesn’t do stuff that way.. it’s whoever the AF needs somebody.. maybe sometimes it works out !

Response by SFC Tim Mosher made Sep 17 at 2019 9:53 PM

2019-09-17T21:53:29-04:00

At this point, you need to exercise your rights as a customer. You're paying for THEIR service and need to demand to have your needs met as outlined in a legally binding contrat. Don't back down innyhe face of courteous contempt.