FORT BRAGG, N.C. - Tuition can be quite expensive when trying to achieve the goal of earning a college degree, but an education can go a long way for one's career once receiving that diploma.
Fortunately, there are many programs and scholarships that can help students pay for school. The Airborne Scholarship Association has helped many dependents of military servicemembers and civilians since February 2010.
"The Airborne Scholarship Association provides merit-based, undergraduate school scholarships to the dependent Family members of active duty, veterans and Department of the Army civilians from non-divisional units within the XVIII Airborne Corps who have served since September 11, 2011," said retired Col. Scott A. Harris, president of the ASA.
Family members of sponsors assigned to the following units are eligible to compete for these scholarships: XVIII Airborne Corps, 44th Medical Brigade, 20th Engineer Brigade, 16th Military Police Brigade, 82nd Sustainment Brigade, 525th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade, and 108 Air Defense Artillery Brigade. Other eligable units include the 35th Tactical Theater Signal Brigade at Fort Gordon, Ga., and the 3rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command at Fort Knox, Ky.
"When we first started establishing the organization, units such as the 82nd Airborne Division and U.S. Special Operations Command already had similar scholarship programs of their own," said retired Col. Billy J. Buckner, chairman of scholarship selection committee, ASA. "We realized Families from corps were not eligible for those scholarships and therefore created ASA to accommodate the particular units within the corps."
In the past two years, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization has awarded more than 40 scholarships that totaled more than $100,000, and they expect to give just as much, if not more, this year in 2012, Buckner said.
"Our objective for 2012 is to award $150,000 in scholarships," said Buckner. "We are well on our way to achieving this goal.
"We recognize many of us have children who are in college and every dollar counts when it comes to paying for college," he said. "For us, it's a great opportunity to be able to give back to Family members as they go off and pursue their education goals."
Education can be an important aspect of Soldiers career development. Both Buckner and Harris have college degrees themselves which they said helped develop their careers while in the military and in the civilian sector.
"Given the current state of the economy in the U.S., anything you can do to increase your education level makes you much more competitive in the job market," said Buckner, public relations manager of TigerSwan and former XVIII Airborne Corps public affairs officer. "One of the reasons I stayed here in Fayetteville once I retired was to help work on this ASA. I love doing it and it's a great opportunity knowing that we can help play a small part," said Buckner.
"In today's world and economy, to get a decent paying job you're going to need a college education," said Harris, executive officer, Mission Support Element, XVIII Abn. Corps and Fort Bragg. "A college education will give you the foundation you need either for a particular skill or several different types of skill sets. It shows that you have the capability to study, learn, and comprehend a series of different subjects, as well as helping you grow personally. "
The scholarship window for ASA 2012 fall scholarships has been open since Jan. 31, and those who want to apply still have plenty of time as the application process runs until March 31 at midnight, Harris said.
"I encourage everyone who's eligible to apply to do so, it's a great opportunity and we're going to give out more then we did last year," said Harris. "We just want to take care of the Soldiers and their Families."
Applications can be downloaded at airbornescholarshipassociation.org. Any questions or concerns, contact Buckner or Harris at 364-8700 or 396-1009.
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