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The Independent Student Voice of Mt. Hood Community College
November 8, 2013
Volume 49 Issue 8
Ve t e r a n s Day cov e r ag e
We are veteran friendly MHCC finds a way to meet veterans’ needs
Guest Column: A dual life in the military Names can express individuality, or express order
Mt. Hood is one of few designated ‘military friendly schools’ in Northwest
by Alex Fowler
by Katelyn Hilsenbeck
MHCC student and U.S. Army veteran
The Advocate
My name is Alex, but for four years I answered to Fowler, preceded by my rank. I’ve found that the name your parents give you is meant to express individuality; the military gives you another to stress order. I served in the U.S. Army as an Aviation Operations Specialist, though as with most soldiers, I would hold a dozen or so titles with various responsibilities at any given time. The Army sent Specialist (SPC) Fowler all around the world, including Iraq, to work as part of a unit. The success of these missions required a lot of time and attention, which required sacrifices to be made by Alex in his personal life. Alex’s past friendships dissolved, his marriage ended and he was only able to see his son a few times during the first four years of his life. Yet, even as Alex lost grip of his identity, SPC Fowler thrived knowing that the work he put in was making the lives of his brothers and sisters in uniform safer. After leaving the service I found it difficult to manage as just Alex: no rank, no unit, no direction. I bounced around between jobs, finding no satisfaction in doing what I felt were unimportant tasks. Important to a boss, maybe, but no lives were at risk if I didn’t show up or failed to do something I was asked.
Are you a veteran? MHCC has earned designation as a “military friendly school” for the past four years. This means Mt. Hood offers Veteran Services services likely not is in AC1152, the available at other Career Planning campuses, and is and Counseling dedicated to helpCenter. ing veterans sucOpen Mon. - Fri. ceed educational8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (503) 491-7346 ly, school officials said. Veteran Services Coordinator Joshua Ray said that instead of visiting multiple places on campus for such needs as advising, schedule planning, financial assistance, veterans at MHCC can get everything taken care of in a single office. Ray described it as a “one-stop shop.” What’s more, for a second year, MHCC veterans have the opportunity to enter into a group cohort and take certain classes that hold only fellow veterans. This is the only veteran cohort in the Pacific Northwest. The veteran-only classes run in a threeterm series and include the core classes that most programs require.
Column
Services
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Graphic by Heather Golan - The Advocate
Three vets speak out
Showing veterans respect:
- Brock Bigej -
What to do and what not to do
Page 2
Free coffee for veterans (students, staff) in the Bookstore today!
No class Monday
Two servicemen are reunited at MHCC after serving in Afghanistan by Katelyn Hilsenbeck The Advocate Straight out of David Douglas High School in 2007, Brock Bigej joined the Marines. When he got out of the military, he toured several community colleges, decided MHCC was the place for him and signed up for the veterans cohort program. During new student orientation day, participants are split into designated tour groups. And, within Bigej’s group, several people stuck out to him. He approached one of them and
asked if he was a veteran, too, which he was. From there, they began the exchange of stories and realized they served in Afghanistan at the same time. Bigej had gone through the trauma center where the other vet, Charlie, had worked. “He remembered that my last name was spelled funny, was what he said. He remembered my face. He said that we met before but obviously I was in a different state of mind, so I never really met him until that night,” Bigej said. Now the two have met as civilians and become friends. Bigej landed in several trauma centers in Afghanistan after an explosion caused severe injuries “An IUD, a bomb, was detonated right next to me, chewed up my legs and put me in a pretty bad place,” he said. “I had a reconstructed leg and a lot of
stitches and hardware and plates and some vascular reconstruction, too. It’s pretty extensive… even though just talking to me, no one would know, especially wearing pants. “I guess it kind of gives you a new outlook on life. I feel like I got a second leg. I could have had a prosthetic leg, that would’ve been different for me.” Bigej acknowledged a potential worse outcome. “I could not be here (at all), too. So, I kind of look at it almost as a positive,” he said. Bigej said his interest in the military goes back to his childhood. “I took it to another level, had a desire to serve my country and (have) it be an adventure as well.”
Brock Bigej
Stories
Continued on page 3
2013 First place
General excellence Oregon Newspaper Publisher Association
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