The two veterans are in very different phases of their academic
careers... one is about to finish up at Santa Fe and transfer to UF to
earn his Bachelors degree.
The other is in his first semester at Santa Fe and is not having
the same smooth transition from military life to college student that
the first veteran had.
"This is Patriot's Circle...it's to remember those service members killed in Iraq," Jason Yulee, an Army veteran, said.
The memorials on Santa Fe's campus are to honor veterans of the past.... and, the present-- over 600 students.
Jason Yulee is one.
He left the army in 2007 and enrolled at Santa Fe.
The biggest difference to me would be adapting to the speed from military to civilian life.
But for Yulee, the transition from the battlefield to the classroom was an easy one.
In the army, he was a communications sergeant.
At Santa Fe, he's president of the student senate and has a 3.7 GPA..
He's also a leader in the Collegiate Veterans Society and says
he's dedicated to helping veterans find help with anything they need.
"Whether it's finding out information about VA benefits, taking
them there personally, showing them around campus or just having
someone to hang out with," Yulee said.
But Yulee says he knows not every veteran's experience is as easy
as his... Because as his college experience has come full circle, and
he leaves santa fe in May, other veterans are just beginning their
journeys.
Justin Bateman is in his first semester at Santa Fe, majoring in welding.
He says after leaving the army, he's fighting a new battle-- one
against Post Traumatic Stress Disorder - and it affects his entire
life, including his school work.
"Teachers a lot of the times, don't understand as far as when you
have an assignment due and you don't sleep the night before," Bateman
said.
But neglecting homework because of dreams and flashbacks is only part of it...
"If somebody were to walk up behind you and drop something... the
first thing you think is take cover because you're getting shot at,"
Bateman said.
And he won't even get his first semester under his belt. He
recently found out he's being deployed to Afghanistan in April.
Still, he plans to come back to school when he gets out.

Justin Bateman says his tour in Afghanistan will last about a
year. His wife is a student at UF, so he says he plans on coming back
to Gainesville when he gets out and returning to Santa Fe.
Jason Yulee will transfer to UF in the fall. He says he plans to
attend law school after getting his Bachelors in political science.