The self-reliance prevalent among veterans is a laudable trait but can act as a hurdle for those acclimating to civilian life, according to those who provide services and programs to the county’s military men and women.

“The biggest issue we have is that they don’t all have the same issues and they don’t come to us,” said Mario Mihelcic, the certifying specialist for veterans benefits at the College of San Mateo.

“Veterans have learned not to ask for help,” he said.

Teaching veterans it is OK to seek assistance and telling them about the available programs and services is part of Mihelcic’s goal at the school aiming to transition veterans into academia.

Since spring 2007, CSM has seen 264 veterans come through and there are currently 124 self-identified enrolled. There may be more but statistics are culled from identification on admissions applications. GI Bill benefits are being used by 55 students and another 10 are veterans’ dependents.

The majority of current veterans’ students are younger, coming from Iraq or other oversees missions. A growing group, though, are Vietnam War veterans, Mihelcic said.

“I think they want to take advantage of the programs that weren’t available to them and we don’t want to repeat those mistakes,” Mihelcic said.

The programs and services are provided through new initiatives in the last two years, mimicking what is happening at other community colleges in areas more closely linked to military needs because of bases or high enlistment numbers.

The school has a Veterans Student Alliance overseeing the programs, which includes mentoring, emergency loans, scholarships and workshops. Veterans also receive priority enrollment.

Plans are in place to train staff and faculty about post traumatic stress disorder and other veteran-specific needs, but Mihelic said they must be cognizant not to treat them like victims.

In spring, the college will break new ground with Career 120 for Vets, a class specifically targeting veterans, their dependents and supporters with topics ranging from success strategies and education planning to the GI Bill and transition issues.

The classes and alliances are beginning work with organizations and businesses like Kaiser Permanente Redwood City with targeted job fairs.

But veterans aren’t the only beneficiaries of school, as Mihelcic personally knows.

As a CSM English student, Mihelcic befriended a veteran who told him stories about the conflict in Somalia. A story of how natives drank hot tea in scorching temperatures to even out their body temperatures stuck with Mihelcic.

“I remember him and how he made the situation personal. That’s one of the benefits to the rest of the student body,” he said.

Opening the eyes of those without military ties is especially worthwhile in the Bay Area where high schoolers are less inclined to choose it after graduation, Mihelcic said.

Without that kind of community connection, he said, it is easy to forget we’re in a state of war or that men and women are continually making ultimate sacrifices.

That oversight is also common outside the school community. Particular veterans from Vietnam and World War II are less likely to seek out help or even know what is available, said Amanda Kim of the San Mateo County Human Services Agency.

When veterans’ needs are brought to light, the focus tends to be on those recently discharged rather than those from the previous generations, Kim said, adding that veterans as a whole are an aging population.

“The largest group of new referrals we get are for Vietnam vets,” she said.

And so like CSM and other organizations offering veterans’ services, the county must balance the differing needs of different generations. The advent of the Internet has made it easier to share them with some veterans but lesser computer literacy among the older groups means some of the help must come the old-fashioned way.

“We need people in the community to look out for each other and maybe check in on programs for their loved ones and friends,” she said.

Both said while veterans have individual needs, a prevailing theme is a feeling upon return that they don’t fit in or are alienated — feelings they hope to dispel.

“They need to be taken care of just like they took care of us,” Mihelcic said.

Local Veterans’ Resources

San Mateo County Veterans Services

260 Harbor Blvd., Bldg. A

Belmont, CA 94002-4047

Open Tuesday through Friday 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

(650) 802-6598

Appointments appreciated

Veterans benefits are available if you are a:

• Veteran;

• Surviving spouse of a veteran;

• Spouse of a veteran;

• Child of a deceased or disabled veteran;

• Parent who lost a son or daughter in military service.

Help provided by the county includes:

• Service connected disability compensation claims;

• Non-service connected pension claims;

• V.A. life insurance;

• V.A. burial benefits;

• California state veterans benefits;

• V.A. home loan guarantee;

• Post Traumatic Stress Therapy;

• Alcoholism and drug dependency treatment;

• Emergency shelter, food, health, mental health.

For more information on veterans’ services at the College of San Mateo, contact Mario Mihelcic, Admissions and Records Assistant and Certifying Specialist for Veterans Benefits at 358-06856.

Information is also available at http://collegeofsanmateo.edu/veterans/

Michelle Durand can be reached by e-mail: michelle@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 102.