Graduation

Time never moved this fast when I was on active duty! This past year, my final year as an undergraduate at West Chester University of Pennsylvania, has been a blur. After waiting and working for so long, I can hardly believe that graduation is next month!

After six years in the Army National Guard, two more years in the IRR, and two major tours of active duty, I'm finally about to receive a college degree. The path has been long and fraught with detours, but I wouldn't change a thing.

It's strange, but one of the reasons the military appealed to me at 17 was the prospect of funds for college. Of course, there were many other good reasons to join, but that certainly made the decision easier. Yet, as a member of the Louisiana Army National Guard, financial assistance was only available for schools in my home state. I moved to Pennsylvania in 2003, and even though I traveled back and forth to LA to drill with my unit, I was not eligible for any financial assistance beyond the MGIB.

So, I'll be paying back my student loans for many, many years, but my time at West Chester was definitely worth it. I will always treasure the friends that I made there, and I'll carry them in my heart wherever I go.

I'll be starting an internship this summer with a federal agency and, hopefully, I will be able to join that agency to begin my career. But, whatever God plans is ok with me. I really miss my family, my Mom and sister back in Louisiana, and I hope that I'll be able to move closer to them soon.

Through it all, I think of you, my friends, and thank God for such wonderful companions of the journey of life!

Love,

Jason

Updates

Wow, I can't believe it has been so long since I updated my blog! I've been trying to finish my undergraduate program so that I can get my bachelor's degree before anything else happens.

I started at Louisiana State University, but my first semester there was interrupted for active duty in Afghanistan. When I returned home, I moved to Philadelphia to attend Widener University. After two semesters there, my unit was activated again, this time to help with relief efforts in my home state of Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina. When I got back to Philly, I realized that I couldn't afford the private college any longer, so I transferred to West Chester University. I've been there for three semesters and can finally see the end in sight! If all goes well, I'll be graduating this time next year :-)

In addition to school, I'm still working with Military Service Corps to help troops transitioning from active duty to civilian careers. You can find out more about us here: www.militaryservicecorps.com

More updates to follow. Please don't forget our troops!

Love,

Jason

Prayers for an Injured Soldier

Dear Friends,

This is from my colleague at Military Service Corps ...

Thank you, everyone, for your continued prayers for Christopher Brennan. Chris, who is 20, grew up in New Jersey and joined the U.S. Army in August of last year. Unable to return home over Memorial Day weekend, he and some friends traveled from their military base in Texas to San Diego. The trip was to be an opportunity to see the Pacific Ocean and enjoy a brief rest before heading over to duty in Iraq.

Chris was about waist-deep in the ocean when he dove over a wave and struck his head in the suddenly shallow water. He experienced immediate paralysis and has been in the Surgical ICU at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla since the accident.

Over the past five weeks, Chris has experienced many challenges and some victories. He is finally able to breath on his own without a respirator and, for the first time since the accident, he has been allowed some normal food.

Please also remember in your prayers Chris' mom, Mary, his younger brother and sister, and Mary's seven wonderful sisters who have been helping the family through this difficult ordeal. We learned today from the Gloucester County Times that Chris' accident is not the first tragedy for the family. His older brother, Robert, died in 1997, twelve years after suffering brain injuries in a swimming pool accident. Two weeks after Chris left for boot camp, Mary was diagnosed with breast cancer. Now, having recently endured surgery and chemotherapy, she is at her son's side bringing a mother's strength and love.

It is hoped that Chris will be able to be transported to a military hospital here in the East by the end of this week. Being surrounded by other troops will surely help boost his spirits, and hearing from those who are praying for him certainly helps too. If you would like to send an email to Chris before his transfer, please click here. The nurses will make sure that he receives every message.

Several groups, including Families Support Our Troops, are raising funds for Chris and his family and other soldiers. If you would like more information, please visit this link: PVT Christopher Brennan.

Thank you to Chris' Aunt Catherine who has been keeping us updated on his progress, and to all of you who are joining our prayers for Chris and his family. As we celebrate this Fourth of July, may we remember with profound gratitude all of our soldiers whose sacrifices have purchased for us the blessings of freedom.

PHEAA - The Update

Wow, I had just about given up hope of being considered for tuition assistance from the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (see 25 FEB post below). After numerous letters and appeals, I finally received word today that I am eligible!

When the governor's office had no luck getting through to PHEAA, I thought that I had exhausted every last possibility. One last letter to Representative Tom Gannon, however, and the situation was completely resolved. I am so grateful to Rep. Gannon and his amazing office staff for making the seemingly impossible happen!

Maybe my adopted state of Pennsylvania wants me to stay after all :-)


A grateful soldier,

Jason

Easter and Passover

As we celebrate these holy days, I wanted to let my fellow troops know how much they remain in my thoughts and prayers. I remember spending holidays in Afghanistan and, although it's never easy to be away from home and loved ones, it can be especially challenging at times like this.

Wherever we are right now, let's remember those who are still so far from home. Let's keep showing our support and gratitude, even if we only have time to send a quick note to a soldier, sailor, airman, or Marine. The "AnySoldier" link on the side of this blog will help you connect with troops who are hoping to hear from you.

Most of all, we remember those who have given their lives in the service of their country. No matter what the circumstances - or how we feel about the war - we will never forget their sacrifice. Their names are written on our hearts.

Blessed Easter and Passover to all,

Jason

Patron of the Emerald Isle

Just a quick note to all of my soldier buddies, friends, and all who claim a bit of Ireland in their ancestry. May the prayers of St. Patrick, patron of the Emerald Isle, bring you joy and peace wherever you are!

I'm only a quarter Irish, but it's enough to appreciate the struggles of our ancestors, and to be grateful for all that Irish immigrants did to make America great.

With love from your slightly-Irish brother,

Jason

PHEAA - The Red-Tape Behemoth

Has anyone recently had to deal with the red-tape behemoth known as PHEAA - the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency? If you have, you probably know where I'm going with this!

As I was coming to the end of my tour of duty in Afghanistan in early 2003, my relatives in Pennsylvania suggested that I consider moving here and, eventually, starting college again (I was in my first semester at LSU when my unit was called to active duty overseas).

I moved to Pennsylvania in May of 2003 and decided to work full-time at a civilian job for at least a year. Of course, I had to fly back to Louisiana - at my own expense - to participate in mandatory monthly drills with my unit.

In May of 2004, I began applying to several schools and to PHEAA. I was accepted and chose to attend Widener University in Chester, PA, in the Fall of 2004, not realizing that PHEAA would contribute nothing to my financial aid package.

Countless phone calls and letters to PHEAA resulted in different excuses each time for why I was ineligible for financial aid from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania:

- First, it was because I hadn't changed my driver's license to PA
- Then, because I was a member of the National Guard of another state
- Then, because military members can only claim their home state
- Finally, they said it was because I applied 13 days shy of one full year in PA

As each excuse was presented and resolved, PHEAA found another one. Finally, I wrote to Governor Rendell asking for his assistance in resolving the situation. Sadly, even the governor fared no better than I did with this state agency!

I thought about giving up and returning to Louisiana, but instead I transferred to a state university because I couldn't afford a private college's tuition any longer (I'm already almost $25,000 in debt and I'm only a sophomore).

I gave up my full tuition benefits in Louisiana - even though I remained a member of the National Guard unit - to move to Pennsylvania. Now, PA tells me that I am neither a resident of the state nor eligible for financial aid.

It would be nice if Pennsylvania would honor my decision to move here as well as my years of service in uniform. Instead, they have made it next to impossible to stay.

Jason