GTCC Veterans and Military Resource Center provides support and community

“I get personal satisfaction out of helping the veterans and dependent students,” said Henry. “I’ve either seen what they’ve been through or experienced it myself."

Unless you’re a veteran or a member of a military family, you may not realize that GTCC has a Veterans and Military Resource Center (VMRC) on the second floor of Medlin. If you do have a military connection, you may have already benefited from all the VMRC has to offer.

The VMRC assists GTCC students that are veterans or military dependents of all six  branches find beneficial resources such as:

• Appling for and receiving Veterans Administration (VA) educational benefits to pay for college
• Studying and networking with other veterans and dependents
• Picking up resource literature, using the center’s computers, enjoying a relaxing study area with coffee and conversation.

Serving over 300 students per semester, the VMRC is also where the GTCC Student Veterans Association (SVA) meets Wednesdays at noon. The SVA provides veterans and their dependents a community to look for scholarships, form study groups, share military information, and connect about the challenges adjusting to civilian life after service.

When veterans or dependents visit the GTCC VMRC they are welcomed by someone who has experienced military life firsthand, Hepston H. Henry II, GTCC veterans affairs coordinator. The self-described Army brat lived all over the United States in Texas, Washington, Louisiana, and Virginia and twice in Germany, while his dad was serving in the U.S. Army.

“My favorite thing about being a military kid was traveling,” said Henry. “While my dad was stationed in Mannheim, Germany, we traveled all over Europe; Italy, France, Spain, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Turkey, Austria, Denmark, Switzerland, Lichtenstein.”

Henry knows and understands the complexity and the beauty of growing up in a military family.

“Growing up as a military child, I had the opportunity of meeting all types of people from all walks of life,” said Henry. “The early exposure to the world makes it much easier for me to connect with anyone in professional or personal settings. I’m grateful for these life skills, as they have molded my appreciation for diversity of our student body.

“However, it wasn’t always easy. We moved a lot when I was younger, and it was very hard to make friends. As soon as you get close to someone, they move or you move. With the invention and expansion of social media, it has been fairly easy to reconnect with many of them.”

Since Henry has experienced the ever-changing military life and has experience in this role at other higher ed institutions, he’s the perfect person to guide Titans through their educational journey and more.

“I get personal satisfaction out of helping the veterans and dependent students,” said Henry. “I’ve either seen what they’ve been through or experienced it myself. Being the liaison between the school and the Department of Veterans Affairs is not always the easiest, but being able to speak to students on their level relieves some of the unnecessary anxieties of getting their paperwork squared away.”

For more information on GTCC’s Veterans and Military Resource Center, visit; gtcc.edu/admissions-and-aid/how-to-pay-for-college/veterans-resource-center/index.php