Fort Sill holds college fair

LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) - Education is important to progress, so Fort Sill is recognizing National American Education Week, holding a number of events, including a college fair.

”For various reasons education is very important, especially to soldiers who are serving. It makes them better soldiers, better leaders, and it helps them transition more successfully when they leave the military,” Michael Dodds, the Fort Sill Education Services Officer, said.

But education doesn’t just start at the end of their service. Dodds says soldiers can start before leaving the service, an important consideration for easing back into civilian life.

”At least get part of it done, or perhaps get the whole thing done before they separate, so they can compete for those good paying jobs when they transition out of the military,” Dodds said.

Private First Class Espada is eighteen years old and spoke with a few of the thirty universities at the college fair today. He’s interested in animal specialist programs, but realizes the importance of education beyond the schooling itself.

”You don’t want to lead your subordinates when there’s things that you may not know, so furthering your education could possibly help you correlate to your soldiers and also help them gain more education, but before you can teach, you must know,” Espada said.

Creating effective leaders of the future, both on and off of the battlefield, is the main objective of the college fair. Today’s event shows the importance of education and soldiers expanding beyond their military specialty.

”It’s so rewarding to watch those soldiers progress towards their degree and then when they walk across that stage on graduation day, big old smile on their face, everybody’s clapping and yelling. It’s just so fulfilling,” Dodds said.

Copyright 2023 KSWO. All rights reserved.