Job training program gives more vets a chance

Lee, who last attended school in the early 1980s, said he is still making the transition from business owner to student with a 15-hour course load. Algebra skills that he hasn't used in decades have faded, he said.

"Math skills are like a muscle: If you don't use them every day, you're going to lose them," he said. "This program is very intense and very demanding."

Lee and Sledge said there are several other veterans enrolled in the TCC program who are VRAP participants. Usually, it is only the two men in the library after class, but Sledge said he hoped others in the class would soon join them.

On this morning, the men flipped pages in their textbooks and reviewed their charts.

Being a student isn't easy, but Sledge said the men will finish the program.

"We're going to do it," he said. "Too good of an opportunity to let it pass by."

Information from: Fort Worth Star-Telegram, http://www.star-telegram.com