When he came home after his first deployment,


hemet Jamie, the woman who would become his wife. Fromthe beginning, he said, she always provided the right support in the right way. His four years with theMarines were up in


September 2005. In August, he chose to redeploy, calling it “the best thing that ever happened.” That second trip back to Iraq—as a sergeant— allowed himto decompress, to seemore clearly what his servicemeant, and to realize he could putmost of the pieces back together. Even with that understanding, coming home


was not easy. David had to let go of the power that comes fromcommanding othermen and wielding a weapon. “When you transition back in fromthe fringe to the fold, everything has changed,” he said. David was tempted to re-enlist or perhaps to


become a private contractor in Iraq where he could earn substantiallymore. “In the end, the love ofmy life won out,” David said. “She pulled me back.” David went to work at Hurt & Proffitt in Lynch-


burg doing surveying work and started taking classes at Central Virginia Community College. He heard about Lynchburg College’s Yellow Rib- bon commitment—to offer full tuition to any eligible veteran. For the first time, David realized that he could get a four-year college degree. Elizabeth Becker, transfer coordinator in LC’s


enrollment office, helped himfigure out how to dual enroll in fall 2009 so he could complete his associate degree and get started on his econom- icsmajor at LC. “It was a delicate balancing act that everyone worked withme on,” he said. “The reception I’ve had here since day one has been phenomenal.” Then in January 2010, he learned about the


generous $250,000 veterans’ scholarship fund created by Dr. Bower. “Dr. Bower’s contribution was a catalyst forme,” he said. Even though he has a full load with a wife,


two young children, Tristan, three, and Colton, two, and plans to go on to law school, David said he realized he needed tomake a contribution. He is working to implement a veterans’ transition programat Lynchburg College to help other vet- erans return to school and civilian life. “To walk out one door and into the other is


not natural,” he said, but LC ismaking it easier. “I really feel like Lynchburg College has posi- tioned itself to be the veteran-friendly school.”


HAVING SERVED TWO TOURS OF DUTY IN IRAQ, LOUIS ALVEY KNOWS THAT MANY WAR WOUNDS ARE INVISIBLE. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and brain trauma can plague veterans who think they have escaped combat unscathed. “Regardless of how intense your deployment


was, you change, and you have tomake accom- modations for those changes,” Louis said. Now working on hismas-


ter’s degree in clinicalmental health counseling at LC, Louis also works as a peer specialist with Virginia’sWoundedWar- rior program, providing sup- port and services to veterans and their families for stress-related problems and traumatic brain injuries. During an interview, he excuses himself to an-


swer a phone call fromaWoundedWarrior who needs a ride the nextmorning for amedical ap- pointment. Suchmessages can’t wait. Louis is helping other veterans re-enter their


communities and re-acclimate to family and career, to find their place back in society. It’s hard enough under the best of circumstances.When PTSD or brain trauma is involved, it’s very tough indeed. Many veterans don’t even know they have been injured. Veterans whomight have lost conscious- ness froma blast but walked away, often don’t realize they suffered brain trauma, for example. Louis, who has worked with veterans from


every war betweenWorldWar II and the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, sees common problems with re-entry.Military culture and lifestyle are so different fromcivilian life. You have to cre- ate a new identity, he said. A fellow veteran can help in ways civilians can’t.


That’s also true on campus, where Louis has found that veterans among faculty, staff, and the student body provide a needed comfort level. “It’s nice to know you’re not alone,” he said. Upon graduation, Louis plans to continue help-


ing veterans and their families as a counselor, and because of that commitment, he was awarded a 2009 National Board for Certified Counselors Foundation (NBCCF)Military Scholarship, one of six $3,000 scholarships awarded nationally. He as- pires to get his doctorate one day. Like Dr. John Bower, Louis grew up in Bedford.


He attended Longwood University and enlisted in the Virginia National Guard his junior year, thinking it would fit with his aspirations to be a teacher. He could do his Guard duty in the summer. But after fifteen weeks of training in summer 2004, he re- turned to Farmville and was told he was deploying


W o u n d e d W a r r i o r s


to Iraq. That didn’t fit with the plans in his head. “I didn’t anticipate the need being that immedi- ate,” he said. He and his high school sweetheart, Amanda, weremarried September 24, and in October he was off to Fort Dix, New Jersey, for training. In December, he headed for Iraq, where he spent a year working in detainee operations, i.e.,moving prisoners. Immediately upon return- ing, he went back to Longwood and finished his bachelor’s in elementary education with aminor in psychology in 2006. He and Amanda, then threemonths pregnant,


returned home,moving into a house in Forest, a Lynchburg suburb. Then inMarch 2007, Louis got the news that he was being sent back to Iraq. On June 3, while training in Virginia Beach, he got a textmessage fromAmanda, who said not to worry but she was in labor. Louis headed straight home. Their son Alexander was born the next day, and Louis spent two and a half days with his fam- ily before heading to Camp Shelby inMississippi. Louis’ second deployment was better. He was


stationed in Kuwait providing security in and out of Iraq. He said both he and his family rested a bit easier, and hemade it back home just in time for Alexander’s first birthday. With two years of Guard duty left to go, Louis


said he could only hope he wouldn’t be shipped back for a third tour. Amanda fearfully operated on the assumption that he would be redeployed. In February 2009, daughter Layla arrived, and on January 29, 2010, Louis completed hismilitary service without another trip to theMiddle East. His face lights up when he talks about his wife


and children. He loves his work. Life is good. When asked if, in hindsight, he would have joined the National Guard, Louis sat quietly. “Absolutely,” he said at last. “Asmiserable as the lowest lows were, it has putme in the position I’min now.”


Fall 2010 LC MAGAZINE 29


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