Student Veteran Perspectives

Q. What do you most want members of the UCSF community who have no affiliation with the military to know about serving in the military, or about your service personally?

A. Leadership turnover is not only natural but mandated in the military. I’ve seen the extremes and within short periods of time. This has taught me how leadership can directly change the work culture.

Q. What do you most want members of the UCSF community who have no affiliation with the military to know about serving in the military, or about your service personally?

A. That there is a great political divide amongst veterans that has surfaced since the Trump administration. Because speaking out against politics was punishable in service, many of us that are civilians now have a hard time verbalizing our views. There are many of us that support equal rights and strive to serve humanity.

Q. What do you most want members of the UCSF community who have no affiliation with the military to know about serving in the military, or about your service personally?

A. There seems to be a popular assumption that all or most veterans are conservative, this is not true, although I will admit that my conservative veteran peers tend to be more outspoken than the rest of us. For me, personally, my experience serving in the military made me more liberal. I witnessed firsthand the strength of American diversity as the military reflects the diverse communities it serves. Perhaps more than that, on a personal level, my military service in Afghanistan, in particular, opened my eyes to the ways in which historical currents shape modern events. I stood on a fortress built by the soldiers of Alexander the Great, some 2,300 years prior. It was still guarding the same mountain pass, all these centuries later. That made me curious about other historical issues that led to my standing on that fortress, which has opened my eyes to so much. I know that many American veterans served, as I did, to repay a nation that provided us with so many opportunities (both real and assumed) and that our service removed our blinders and opened up a wider world to us – whether that be from experiencing American values from different perspectives through our peers or by serving the nation and being exposed to alleged "enemies" in wartime – and that wider understanding has significant power. Our service shifted our perspectives at the same time it inspired us to further service after removing the uniform. Personally, I have had the privilege to teach history at the community college and state university levels. And my students have a better understanding of notions like American exceptionalism, liberty, duty, and consequences as a result of my service.

Q. What do you most want members of the UCSF community who have no affiliation with the military to know about serving in the military, or about your service personally?

A. More than 70% of all US doctors have trained at a VA hospital. I would encourage all UCSF trainees to seek out at least one rotation at the VA. It's a great opportunity to give back and learn about military culture.

Q. What do you most want members of the UCSF community who have no affiliation with the military to know about serving in the military, or about your service personally?

A. Every person who serves in the military has a different experience. Some people enjoyed their time in the military, others don't. Some people deploy to the front lines, some don't. Some people identify as a part of the veteran community, others don't. Some spend an entire career in the military, some don't. Some people sustain personal and work related traumas, others don't. While not everyone's experience is the same, it is important to remember that our time serving definitely influences and shapes our identities. Joining the military was the best decision I could ever had made at seventeen years old. I learned what it was like to be a part of something so much bigger than myself and countless other lessons. Because of my time in the Army, I am afforded the opportunity to pursue a degree and field I never could have fathomed all those years ago.