Utah soldier struggling to meet University of Utah costs

After six years in the Army, including deployments to Colombia and Honduras, Joel Hunt thought his GI Bill would pay for college.

But it hasn't quite worked out that way.

Hunt, 30, is married and had twins in April. As a full-time student in the University of Utah's physician assistant program, he doesn't work.

With three loans and mounting debt, Hunt is having a love-hate relationship with his GI benefits.

He said in an interview that, if he could do it over, he wouldn't join the Army just for an education benefit. One of those benefits, for example, comes in the form of a tuition-assistance program, which is available while a person is considered active-duty military.

The GI Bill, however, kicks in after a person like Hunt has separated from the military. For the most part, Hunt is thankful for the GI Bill.

"It helps tremendously with living expenses," he said at his home in Salt Lake City. "To me, that's what the GI Bill is — it helps cover living expenses."

Hunt admits he was ignorant about the military's education benefits when he enlisted in the Army in 1998. He thought the GI Bill, which he paid into while in active duty, was supposed to help with education.

But when tuition, all of it, is due each semester, the GI money isn't there in full. It's doled out in monthly payments. So students like Hunt are sometimes forced to take out loans and then pay for their education — or, in Hunt's case, living expenses — from month to month as the GI Bill checks arrive.

Utah National Guard spokesman Maj. Hank McIntire said that, without any changes on the horizon to the way GI funds are distributed, it's up to schools to help balance the timing of GI checks with tuition bills.

"It really just depends on the school," said McIntire, who is currently a graduate student at the University of Utah. "The school has to be the one to say, 'We want to be part of the system.'"

Hunt, originally from Texas, won't say how far in debt he is, linking some of it to his family situation. He's grateful while being critical.

"It still helps with education," he said. "You just have the idea that it will go from Uncle Sam to the university."

And he is skeptical these days about using the GI Bill or education benefits as a recruiting tool to compel college hopefuls to join the military.

"You pay a high price," he said.

Specifically, the price is lives lost and "blood," he added.

"There's other ways to pay for school."

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E-mail: sspeckman@desnews.com