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Sean O'Keefe felt compelled to enlist in the U.S. Army shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and in doing so fulfilled a childhood dream. For five years, he served in the 10th Special Forces—the Army's Green Berets—in locations such as the Balkans and Africa.

Now, as a 24-year-old junior at the School of General Studies (GS), he is one of about 50 students enrolled there who are active or retired military personnel. He also is a member of a six-year-old student group called U.S. Military Veterans of Columbia (MilVets), and he credits such campus organizations with providing much-needed support in helping students like himself make the transition from military to campus life.

"It's nice to hang out with other military veterans who can understand my situation," he said. "They can relate."

O'Keefe just learned that in January he will be deployed to Iraq.

"That news unto itself is devastating and difficult to deal with," said O'Keefe. "But for me, when I am around other veterans who understand what I am going through and know how I want to be treated, it eases the stress of having to go to Iraq once the semester ends."

MilVets promotes dialogue on military life, says Peter Kim, president of the group and a U.S. Marine who served six months in Iraq. "I hope we can bring a viewpoint with experience behind us that will help shape [non-military] minds, rather than be just driven by whatever they read about the war or about military culture, for example," added Kim, a 28-year-old senior at GS. A key goal of the group is to push for a dedicated Veterans Affairs representative on campus to help ex-military students understand and obtain veterans benefits under the GI Bill and health care plans.

Law school students this fall formed the Columbia Law School Military Association, founded by Abe Cho ('10) of the U.S. Marine Corps, who served in Iraq; Marine John Power Hely VI ('10), who served in Afghanistan; and Sangjoon "Simon" Han ('09) of the U.S. Army, who also served in Iraq. "Our goal is to provide a forum both for veterans facing the tough transition from military to student life and for civilian students who want to learn more about the military," said Brian Donnelly ('11), the association's president.

The group has about 25 members, including civilians and current and former military. Its military members have served in Iraq, Afghanistan and several other foreign countries, in a wide variety of jobs, including infantry, artillery, computers and public affairs. One member is a future Army lawyer whose active-duty service will begin again next year in the JAG Corps.

While some of these students find adapting to law school difficult, others say their military experience eases the adjustment. "It allows me to have a slightly different perspective from others who have come straight from undergraduate or even who have worked civilian jobs between undergraduate and law school," said Han, one of the founders. "Nothing seems quite so hard in law school."

Columbia has a long history of veterans coming to campus to complete their degrees. In 1947, the University Extension Program was reorganized as an undergraduate college to meet the needs of GIs returning from World War II; it was called the School of General Studies. In 1946, three-quarters of the law school's incoming class were ex-military.

Students called to active duty are granted a military leave of absence by the University for the period of their active duty and for one year after its end.

Charles Taylor, also a member of the MilVets who served in the Marines for six years, agreed that switching from military life to campus life has not been too difficult, and in some ways, the pace is equivalent. A sophomore at GS, Taylor had two deployments to Iraq and also served in Africa, Armenia and Japan. For Taylor, student groups for veterans are a necessity.

"They remind returning vets that we are not alone," he said.

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