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Serving in the United States armed forces means active participation in the events that define world history. In 1988, Eric Dunaway �26 was a 20-year-old operation specialist for the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Badger III � a Knox-class frigate � when its crew rescued a boat containing Vietnamese refugees in the South China Sea.

�We took on board 57 survivors of a group that had originally numbered 104. They lost a lot along the way because of dehydration, starvation, sharks � there were so many dangers out there for them,� Dunaway explained. �We transported them to Subic Bay in the Philippines.�

From the end of the Vietnam War in 1975 through the mid-1990s, more than three million refugees fled Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, making their way to camps in neighboring countries for a chance to get to the United States or Europe. Hundreds of thousands of these refugees became known as �boat people� as they attempted their journeys in small, leaky vessels with few supplies � many did not survive.

�The survivors on that boat were so starved, they were really just skin and bones. We had to carry them onto our ship,� said Dunaway. �Later, I was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) because of that.�

Dunaway left the Navy in August 1989. Like many veterans, he struggled with the loss of structure and PTSD caused by memories of his experiences. He turned to alcohol as a coping mechanism. Decades of that struggle led him to the Veterans Treatment Court (VTC) of Catawba County in January 2022.

�Veterans are so used to structure, it hard to adapt when you get out. Some people react well to it, and some don�t � I didn�t. I developed a drinking problem and had DWIs, so I ended up in VTC,� he shared. �They tell you how structured it going to be, therapy and classes every week. I got back into a structured program, and it opened up so many doors for me. I couldn�t repay them in a lifetime, but if sharing my story helps another veteran, that a start.�

Working his way through the program and graduating from VTC in May 2023 changed everything for Dunaway.

�It still such an important part of my life � I keep in touch with the manager over there, and I�ve just been asked to mentor another veteran, which I�ve accepted,� he said. �Also, I was recently hired as a pre-trial services coordinator at the courthouse. That all happened because of the VTC. They opened up the opportunity.�

Another opportunity that opened up for Dunaway was the chance to finish college. With his benefits through the Veterans Administration (VA), Dunaway enrolled at Ģ����ý in fall 2024, majoring in human services and communications with a minor in criminal justice.

�I quit college 30 years ago. I just took a summer off and never went back, so part of getting my degree is for the personal accomplishment,� he shared. �But I also want to give back to the system that has done so much for me. There are a lot of veterans in need out there, so the degree will allow me more opportunities to work with them, either through the VTC or the VA.�

Ģ����ý offered the majors he wanted and allowed him to have the in-person college experience with an easy commute.  

�I wanted to get the experience of what I missed when I was younger, going to football games, getting the experience. I get to say �Yeah, I�m an Ģ����ý Bear!�� said Dunaway. �The students talk to me like I�m any other student. My professors are knowledgeable, and the classes are useful to apply outside of class. I�m enjoying it and making great grades � I got an opportunity and I�m taking full advantage of it.�