Previous spread: “My twin boys were born two weeks before I deployed,” says Capt. Donald Wagner, left, with fellow veterans Sgt. Paul Agbeyegbe, A.B. ’11, and Col. Alice Kerr, M.A.L.S. ’97. Above, from left, finance major and former Marine Juan Carlos Castillo and M.B.A. student Lt. Cmdr. Chad Brick are among some 160 student veterans at UM.
first tour. “I had the benefit of previous combat experience to help me with the transition,” she says. “Unfortunately, being a reservist, you are returned to your civilian life just as unceremoniously as you were plucked from it. Unless you live by a military installation, there aren’t too many people around who can understand your experience or your point of view. People were kind and considerate, but sometimes I felt like they didn’t know how to approach me.” Patrick Manrique, D.P.T. ’11, a retired Army captain, also appreciates the support given to returning veterans by the folks back home but is similarly frustrated by some of the stereotypical assumptions he has found, which he says are often fueled by overly dramatic news reports. “The majority of soldiers who come back are not damaged goods,” says the physical therapist, who now lives in Chicago. “For those who
do have problems, there are services to help them, and they handle it with grace and a lot of courage. Those of us who served overseas talk about our experiences with other veterans, but with civilians we don’t open up much. We think of it as a job we were asked to do. We did it well, and now we’re moving on with our lives.” Like other UM students, veterans who are seeking help for emotional issues have access to the UM Counseling Center, as well as a broad range of other student services. But Gail Cole-Avent, assistant to the vice president for student affairs and university ombudsperson, says a committee is also studying whether customized services need to be created for the veteran student population. “We’re very proud that they’ve chosen UM,” she says. “We want to be part of their journey and support them in any way we can.”
Creating a veterans group for UM undergraduates was the aim of Juan Carlos Castillo, a senior at the School of Business Administration and former Marine helicopter mechanic who saw action in Iraq. “When I first came here, I was a little bit lost,” he says. “A lot of veterans tend to isolate themselves.” Castillo envisioned the group providing support and performing community service. The UM Committee on Student Organizations approved his bid for the group in November. “I wanted to get the group started before I graduate next spring,” he says, “not just for me, but for those who will come after me.” LOOKING AHEAD As Manrique notes, most vets are moving on with their lives. Though currently in private practice, he plans to rejoin the service through the National Guard in his home state of Minnesota. Kerr is back at UM and eligible to retire from the Army in three years. Agbeyegbe wants to practice law in Miami. Wagner owes the Army six years and will join the JAG Corps after he graduates and passes the bar exam. Massey, who must still do five years of active courtroom duty for the Marine Corps after graduation, is confident that his law school contacts will lead to “excellent networking for a civilian legal career.” And Brick, who plans to return to the Coast Guard, says an M.B.A. will keep his financial career on the rise. “In the military, to be competitive,” he notes, “you need higher education— the same as in the private sector.”
robert s. benchley is a Miamibased freelance writer. Go to www.miami.edu/miami-magazine for expanded profiles of these and other veterans. Fall 2011 Miami magazine 23