University Star

Clay Patterson remembers when he was a soldier.

“My senior year in high school we invaded Iraq, and I felt that it was my duty to go fight for my country,” said Patterson, pre-international studies sophomore. “I enlisted as a rifleman in the Marine Corps.”

Patterson served in the Marines for four years. He has fought in Haiti and Iraq and trained with foreign militaries in parts of Africa and Kuwait.

Patterson said he did not know what came next after the military, then he met Michael Flowers, political science junior and ASG chief of staff, at boot camp. Flowers told him about Texas State.

“Michael said, ‘Hey, what are you doing after your contract is up?’ and I said I might be a mechanic,” Patterson said smiling. “He said ‘you should come down to Texas State and check it out’, and I thought, well, that would make my mom really happy.”

Patterson is the founder and president of the Veterans Alliance of Texas State, a group dedicated to helping service members achieve success. He said he wished there was an organization like it when he first came to Texas State.

Patterson attended freshman orientation while he was still in the Marine Corps. He was honorably discharged from active duty August 2007, and was in sitting in a classroom 20 days later.

Patterson said orientation and adjusting to college was a difficult experience.

“It was a big change,” Patterson said. “I went from being a sergeant in charge of 30 Marines to being a college freshman with no responsibilities.”

Patterson was 22 years old when he became a student.

“I came in with a bunch of high school seniors transferring to college,” Patterson said. “It was hard being around the younger students, because they weren’t able to relate to me and my experiences in combat and other aspects. It was difficult, because I didn’t have very many people for support.”

Patterson’s experience is not uncommon. According to the U.S. Army, veterans returning from war can suffer from depression and post-traumatic stress.

According to a report by the U.S. Army released Jan. 29, suicide rates of service members reached 128 last year in the active Army. Another 15 cases are still pending a determination, according to the report. The number is up from 115 suicides in 2007.
Patterson said he is now working to ensure veterans entering Texas State do not go through the difficult transition he did.

“This organization acts to build camaraderie, to be there for veterans so they have somebody to relate to,” Patterson said. “The thing with veterans is we could sit here and talk for hours about random stories that we’ve done, not that people wouldn’t care, but somebody that’s been there and knows. It’s kind of like trying to explain baseball to your girlfriend, you’d rather talk sports with your buddy. It’s evident and apparent already that it’s worthwhile for this organization to get started.”

The Veterans Alliance of Texas State is being formed to accommodate the growing population of veterans enrolling in this college.

“We are probably one of the biggest presences on campus as far as minority groups because we are all nontraditional students,” said Chris Schave, international studies junior and vice president of the organization.

There are more than 900 veterans enrolled at Texas State the Veteran Affairs office can confirm, according to Registrar Melissa Hyatt. She said there are veterans unaccounted benefits  because they do not come through the office.

Patterson said the organization is working to be involved in freshmen orientation, which is lacking veteran representation.

“The orientation leaders weren’t able to answer my questions, because they haven’t interacted with many veterans,” Patterson said. “We want the organization to be a guide for incoming veterans, show them what to do to be successful.”

The organization’s members are hoping veterans on campus will join the organization and utilize their skills.

“People that have been in the military have a lot to offer, and a lot of people don’t know how to offer it,” Schave said. “Hopefully through this organization we can give veterans opportunities where they can use their leadership skills and use their knowledge to better the university.”