Madison College Vets Adjusting to Life After War

UPDATE: Returning from military service
Posted: Jan 22, 2010 10:40 AM CST
WKOW.COM

MADISON (WKOW) -- This month, more than 1,000 troops return to Wisconsin after a year in Iraq.

Benjamin Brossard spent five years in the Navy. He's now taking classes at Madison College.

He says he experienced serious problems readjusting to civilian life and dealing with classmates and other people who never served in the armed forces.

Brossard says the hardest part is nobody here relates to military life on a navy ship.

"It was extremely difficult at first," said Brossard. "I was used to being on an aircraft carrier with 5,000 other sailors living in close quarters. I come back to the civilian world... and know no one."

Trevor Klock served a year in Afghanistan. He says he's had no problems re-adjusting to life in Wisconsin and is also a student at Madison College.

"It's nice to wake up at noon if I want to. I get up and do whatever I want," said Klock. He says it was easier to re-adjust because the military allowed him to access the internet from overseas.

The military offers services to returning troops called the Transition Assistance Program. It offers counseling, advice on dealing with stress, and skills classes to help troops find jobs and fit in at the office or workplace.