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Greg Clarke, former president of Adelphi’s Student Veterans of America chapter

LOYALTY. SACRIFICE. DUTY. FRIENDSHIP. Never leave a fallen warrior behind. These words and phrases describe the nearly 100 veteran soldiers among the 7,859 students currently attending Adelphi.

But the average coffee drinker in the Underground Caf茅 wouldn鈥檛 guess the man or woman across from them has been deployed multiple times or seen combat far too up close and personal.

Sometimes anonymity is a choice, but in other instances veterans choose introversion because of pride. According to Gregory Clarke 鈥�13, the 2012鈥�2013 president of the Adelphi chapter of Student Veterans of America (SVA), it鈥檚 important that pride doesn鈥檛 get in the way of accessing benefits they may not be aware of and are in the right to obtain. (Kathleen Rickard is the current SVA chapter president.)

鈥淲hen coupled with the visible and invisible wounds of war, a college degree can be an elusive goal for men and women returning from military service. 鈥�Challenges range from a missing sense of camaraderie or feeling like an outsider among 18-year-old traditional students, to a lack of understanding by university faculty,鈥� the states.

础诲别濒辫丑颈鈥檚 , is here to help with such issues, but it needs active members to be considered an official group and move forward with its goals.

鈥淪VA needs to thrive [at Adelphi] because veterans need support not only from the University itself, but from fellow veterans who can uniquely understand the transition from warrior to student,鈥� Mr. Clarke said.

鈥淏y getting involved with SVA, veterans have an opportunity to provide鈥攁t the very least鈥攁n understanding ear to fellow soldiers who may be struggling not only academically, but socially. I am an Iraq veteran myself and I can attest to the pride we feel and how that makes us, at times, unwilling to ask for help,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut I am hopeful that in an organization where most of us have been through combat, veterans will be more willing to seek help.鈥�

As the group continues to grow, they plan to assist veterans by educating the faculty and staff they鈥檙e surrounded by about issues unique to veteran families and single soldiers.Through this education, University workers will be able to directly help or refer veterans and soldiers to the correct venues so they can be better integrated into the college community. More information can be found at .

More Info for Veterans
For more information on 础诲别濒辫丑颈鈥檚 Yellow Ribbon Program and other benefits and services for students from the military, visit .

To learn about 础诲别濒辫丑颈鈥檚 new Veteran Resource Center in the Hagedorn Hall of Enterprise, go to .