Items

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  2020-11-19

  Father and Son Graduation Celebration

  It was the fall of 2019, and the celebration was on for graduation. Two Air Force Veterans are standing side-by-side for a father and son picture. This moment represents the sky is the limit, and the only thing to do is to move forward and continue with a masters program. Continuing with my higher education meant a continuation in life events for my dad. COVID-19 and his untimely death was not foreseen for the new year of 2020. This will always be a happy time of our lives.
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  11/15/2020

  Recent College Graduate Trying to Maintain Employment as a Substitute Teacher during the COVID-19 Pandemic

  This is an interview with a recent college graduate that started her career at the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic. She describes pre-covid conditions to COVID-19 rules in the kindergarten classroom.
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  11/16/2020

  Anonymous Active Air Force Reservist Oral History, 2020/11/16

  This is a audio interview with a active Air Force Reservist, describing how the Covid pandemic has impacted his work environment and personal livelihood.
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  2020-11-07

  First Sign of VA Benefit Contact During COVID-19

  My first steps to contact the VA for Voc Rehab benefits started in the summer of 2019, I was denied, – even with 6 hours to finish my undergrad the councilor wanted me to start construction education and career. If it wasn’t for my new VA representative at St. Mary’s University that showed me much interest, I would not have perused the program again. This email comes after my initial conversations with the StMU VA office back in late April of 2020. Realizing that this email was from another state, I worried if the counselors would be “just” to me being located in Texas. Covid-19 was making things almost impossible to complete quickly, and now I am emailing with people across the country. How long will the process take?
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  2020-11-07

  Positive Chapter 31 Decision Letter During COVID-19

  Upon receiving this letter, I was overwhelmed with joy and excitement. 30 years in the military sacrificing time with family, friends, and myself have offered me an opportunity to complete and extend my education. Something that I have always wanted to accomplish but could not because of career choices and defending our country. The attachment to this email is the “Decision Letter” that explains the criteria of how the VA has determined my grant into the Department of Veterans Affairs Education Benefits. It was great news receiving this letter, but receiving it comes after my summer registration and start of class.
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  2020-11-01

  A Retiree Initiating Vocational Rehab Benefits

  Going through the process of applying for my Vocational Rehabilitation assistance, I had to complete a job analysis of the degree that I am pursuing. The VA councilor that was assigned to me is very nice and helpful. Her concern to help me was to either qualify me for a job, or training that would help me with finding a career that would work with my disabilities. This email is secondary to an email sent - instructing me to compare three different states that offer careers in Public History. My goal was to show a growing trend in the field, and Texas was showing the highest from the rest of the country. At this time, I have not been accepted into the Vocational Rehab program, but I am registered to start a summer class and the loans pile up.
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  2020-11-01

  How Will I Pay for My Master’s as a Retired Reservist with No Income?

  After graduating with an undergrad in History in the fall of 2019, my goal was to continue my education in Public History. A Graduate Program had opened recently at St. Mary’s University in my hometown of San Antonio TX. That meant that I did not have to commute to Texas State that was approximately 65 miles away, and an hour drive with no traffic – maybe two hours, or more with traffic. I had exhausted my GI Bill Chapter 33 and did not know how I was supposed to fund my continuing education. My loans were adding up and I was not sure of registering for my master’s degree. Talking with the school’s VA office I was encouraged to contact the Veterans Administration to speak with some one that worked with the Vocational Rehab department; that is something that I had already pursued prior to this event, and I was denied service. This is an email shared between me and a VA representative in the middle of 2020. Communication during the Covid-19 pandemic, and summer vacations was making things tough to complete. With the start of these events I was hoping for financial support for my summer II class.
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  2020-10-27

  How has COVID-19 challenged your VA 2020 school registration?

  Reaching out to my school's student veterans, I was able to acquire one response. I emailed out a few questions about how the Covid-19 pandemic effected their registration process, and any other thoughts that may pertain to school and the pandemic. Even for myself, trying to find volunteers to participate in this project is difficult; not being able to visit the campus and collaborate with classmates proved I did not have an abundance of volunteers to work with at a moments notice. Before the pandemic we were able to ask for almost anyone's help with school projects, something that seems like a luxury at this time in the middle of Covid-19. I want to thank the individual for participating in my project, and wish them well with their classes throughout this difficult times that we are experiencing.
• 
  02/01/2020

  Registering for School During COVID-19 for a Veteran

  Registering for my Masters program”2020” was a bit more difficult and time consuming than usual. During Covid-19 “Lock-Down” I could not walk into offices to take care of business like I normally do. Communication was directed through E-Mail, and video calls. First of all, I am not a big fan on emails. I have never considered it an official form of communication. I myself being in the military, and traveling the majority of the year, was subject to scrutiny about not responding to emails when I was traveling around the world. At the time, many places in the world did not have WIFI, and by the time I had arrived from my trips, deadlines had passed; not like I was going to make any kind of meeting while I was on the road anyway. The digital highway is not convenient for me for many forms of communication. Applying for Federal Aid was normal, that has been an online process sense the beginning of my college career but addressing my VA school benefits was another story. Contacting VA coordinators and councilors meant that communication drastically slowed down. During Covid-19, offices were closed, office workers were moving their offices home, and the VA was rapidly changing the process of doing business with its members. This meant that I could not meet with a benefits counselor in my hometown but get a response e-mail from them that would lead me to a national pool of counselors. Applying for school benefits and having the process approved took approximately 5 – 6 months, 4 maybe 5 months too long. I can only guess that the entire system has been compromised because of the Covid pandemic, and the slow to respond, “email effect.”
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  06/01/2020

  COVID-19 Has No Boundaries for Those That Mourn

  February 2020, Covid-19 was a drop in the bucket, it’s coming to the U.S. from China. What is it? Where did it come from? How will it reach us? Do we close our boarders? Stop international travel? Who is to blame? The first of the infected to arrive, from China, landed at Kelly Field San Antonio TX, and were set into quarantine. Fast forward about a month (end of March), and I am picking my dad up from BAMC (Brook Army Medical Center), he had been dropped off by his wife, and she was not allowed to stay at the hospital. He was seen at the ER because of stomach pain and continuous vomiting. What was different and a little strange to me was the fact that the hospital would not allow his wife to enter the building, even if she was the only means of his being. Because of strict city, state, and national orders to covid-19, no one other that the patient was allowed to enter the hospital. After two months of going in and out of the hospital, military doctors had discovered a cancerous tumor growing in his liver, it was putting pressure against his bile duct not allowing his liver to function properly. An emergency procedure was scheduled, but without notice, it was cancelled before he was operated on. A second procedure (Y90) was scheduled, but part 1 of a two-part procedure failed and three days later we said goodbye to Art Reyes Sr. Planning for his services were difficult. We could only invite 10 people to the church and 20 people to the funeral home, but after gathering information about my dad’s services, my heart went out to those that had lost family and friends due to the Covid virus. Their services were completely canceled. If a person had died in a hospital of Covid-19, they were to be transported from the hospital, cremated, and buried without any type of service Had it not been for Covid-19, I think that Art Reyes would have had the rapid medical attention that he deserved. Doctors would have been “on the spot” in treating him for his condition, and not meeting just once a month to discuss someone’s condition with cancer. Many times, I felt that he was dismissed because of the covid-rules in place, but there also did not have to be poor/no communication between family and doctors. Funeral services would have been normal for more than 20 people to celebrate his death, and many family members that could not travel from out of town, could have celebrates with us also. The bottom line was his cancer inevitably was the cause for his death, but it wasn’t immediate. His death was due to his failing organs that were secondary to the tumor growth, and medical doctors on a “Corona19 Vacation.”