{"id":33794,"date":"2020-11-13T09:00:34","date_gmt":"2020-11-13T14:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/?p=33794"},"modified":"2020-12-03T15:19:13","modified_gmt":"2020-12-03T20:19:13","slug":"veteran-alum-joins-utc-counseling-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2020\/11\/veteran-alum-joins-utc-counseling-team\/","title":{"rendered":"Military alum working with student veterans"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Ask Chris Akridge why he initially enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, and the answer is simple: \u201cI wanted to serve my country.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ask Akridge why he now works with military veterans, and the answer is more complex.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of my brothers came back and had very difficult times,\u201d said Akridge, a licensed clinical social worker and 2006 graduate of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. \u201cThe military needs for our returning veterans are great, and I wanted to be in an opportunity where I could continue to serve them.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeeing the struggles and challenges that fellow veterans face, I\u2019m always driven towards helping them work through that.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a member of the Chattanooga Vet Center\u2019s readjustment counseling team, Akridge has returned to the UTC campus this semester to provide services to current student veterans, offering transition support through counseling, therapy and referrals. The role of readjustment is to understand and appreciate the military experiences veterans have faced while assisting them and their family members toward successful transitions back into their communities.<\/p>\n

Having been in their shoes, Akridge can draw from his own experiences.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all, at one point, said, \u2018We\u2019re going to give our lives to protect our country and our brothers and sisters.\u2019 And we know what it\u2019s like to serve with people who have that same bond,\u201d he said. \u201cI will never completely understand what someone is going through, but I can identify strengths pretty well. It\u2019s a good way to build a therapeutic relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n

Akridge knows first-hand about transitioning back into a campus environment after being in a combat zone.<\/p>\n

Shortly after graduating from Red Bank High School in 1998, Akridge enlisted in the Marines. Following boot camp, combat training and specialized job training, he returned to Chattanooga that December as a reservist at the U.S. Naval and Marine Reserve Center on Amnicola Highway.<\/p>\n

Entering the Marines as a reservist allowed him to balance military obligations and undergraduate studies, and he enrolled at UTC.<\/p>\n

He recalled being on campus near the corner of Oak and Douglas streets on Sept. 11, 2001, when he first heard that two hijacked passenger airplanes were flown into the World Trade Center\u2019s twin towers in New York City.<\/p>\n

As a reservist, he was on call for nearly three years before his unit was mobilized for active duty. He served as a forward observer and tank loader during his seven-month deployment to Fallujah, Iraq, in 2004-05. As a result of his actions, he was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal for heroic achievement during Operation Iraqi Freedom II.<\/p>\n

Not long after seeing combat action and completing his enlistment, he returned to UTC to earn his bachelor\u2019s degree in education. The readjustment to campus and civilian life came with rough patches.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a lot of strength that you get from the military,\u201d said Akridge, who attained the rank of sergeant. \u201cSome of the strengths you already have because you\u2019re willing to join the military. Then you come back (to civilian life), and you have to adjust your goals. You have to navigate things.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour sleep\u2019s all whacked out and you have nightmares, and sometimes that makes concentration difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n

After a particularly rough spell, he spoke to a counselor at the UTC Vet Center.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was important to be able to talk to somebody who\u2019s been there,\u201d Akridge said. \u201cHe helped me realize that 1) I\u2019m not crazy; 2) that we need help readjusting from war; and 3) he helped me navigate through and get the tools I needed to be successful. He helped me understand that there\u2019s a strength that every veteran has that can meet the challenges that veterans face.\u201d<\/p>\n

It also put the wheels for Akridge\u2019s future plans in motion. After a four-year stint as a teacher at The Howard School in Chattanooga, he returned to school and earned a master\u2019s degree in social work from Kennesaw State University in 2012.<\/p>\n

After several years of assisting student veterans at Chattanooga State Community College, Akridge recently returned to his alma mater to provide services to UTC military-affiliated students.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love being able to give back to the university that prepared me for my teaching career and everything else,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m very thankful for the opportunity to reach out to other veterans and go where they are when they go to school. That helps a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

With Veterans Day on the horizon, Akridge has a simple reminder to honor those serving this country.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank every vet you see,\u201d he said, \u201cand remember we still have a whole bunch of military over in harm\u2019s way protecting us.\u201d<\/p>\n