They walk among us: unsung heroes, students who attend class and take tests but who once defended the freedom of the United States. There are over 500 student veterans at the Capstone, and the Campus Veterans Association is dedicated to helping them adjust to student life at The University of Alabama.

The Campus Veterans Association’s goal is to be a support group for students who are returning to civilian life following military service, said Joshua Folmar, vice president of the group.

“We want to give our fellow veterans information on the benefits they are entitled to, build a social network for them, and help them out in whatever way possible, but more than anything else, we want them to have a voice that can reach the ears of the people at the Capstone that can make a positive difference for our veterans whether it be the faculty, administration or student media,” he said.

Folmar said that for many student veterans, returning to class and civilian life can be difficult.

“The most difficult thing to adjust to is how much everything changes while you’re away, whether it’s a new building on campus or having to make new friends because your old ones graduated while you were away,” Folmar said.

Folmar also said civilian life is completely different from life in the military, and adjusting to either can take time.

“With more time away, you have to readjust to the difference between being a civilian and being a Marine and recognizing the age differences and social differences is just something that comes along with the territory,” he said.

More than 50 student veterans like Folmar belong to the UA Campus Veterans Association. Gregory Chiadika is a junior majoring in criminal justice and has served in the Army and Air National Guard since 2005.

Adjusting to the college experience and freedom that most take for granted took a while, Chiadika said.

“It’s nice to be in an organization with people who understand how hard it is sometimes to be a veteran at UA,” he said.

He also said that while organizations like the Campus Veterans Association make the switch from military to civilian life easier for some, the University can sometimes make the transition more difficult.

“I have seen veterans come here from out of state and get charged out of state tuition,” Chiadika said. “I think to myself ‘This person served their country and you can’t even charge him in-state tuition?’”

He also said veteran students sometimes have military duties that can cause them to miss class. After realizing he had training on the same day as a test, Chiadika said he asked to take a test early and found that his instructor did not feel that military duty was an adequate reason to miss the test.

“She told me that it was my fault I am in the Guard and there would be no taking the test early, nor could I make it up,” Chiadika said. “However, there were a few athletes who took the class with me and were allowed to make up the test.”

Other students sometimes take veterans for granted here, said Tracey Benton, a junior majoring in art. She said students should be mindful of the sacrifice military personnel make, especially when considering that a student veteran may be sitting next to you in class.

“I know that I have been guilty of not appreciating veterans here the way that I should,” Benton said. “It’s easier to think of veterans as senior citizens, and we forget sometimes that people our own age have already served our country.”