After four years in the U.S. Marine Corps, I enrolled at The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa in 2018. The move from military life to a college campus is a big one, and I connected with other veterans making the same move. This post is about the student veteran side of my Tuscaloosa years: where to get help at Alabama, the veteran community I was part of, and what I'd tell a Marine starting at the Capstone today. For the bigger picture, see my Ryan Gunning in Tuscaloosa page and my Education page.
Start at Veteran & Military Affairs
If you're a veteran heading to Alabama, your first stop should be the University of Alabama's Office of Veteran & Military Affairs (VMA) in Houser Hall, Suite 3000. According to the UA catalog, the office processes the certifications that have to be filed before your VA education benefits pay out, and you have to register with VMA every semester to start or keep receiving them. It also offers academic, personal and financial referrals, and work-study and tutoring for students who qualify.
A few other resources on campus are worth knowing about, all listed on VMA's healthcare and counseling page:
- VetSuccess on Campus: a full-time VA counselor on campus who can help with benefits, VR&E, career planning and health care enrollment. UA says it is one of only 22 campuses in the nation with an on-campus VA counselor.
- VITAL: the Veterans Integration to Academic Leadership program, which helps student veterans get enrolled and set up with care through the Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center.
- A VA satellite clinic at Capital Hall on campus, run with the Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center.
- The Veterans Crisis Line: dial 988 and press 1, any time, day or night.
The Campus Veterans Association
The resources matter, but the people matter more. In Tuscaloosa I served as a board member of the University of Alabama Campus Veterans Association. The CVA helps put on community events such as Operation Iron Ruck, a ruck march that brings student veterans and the Tuscaloosa community together. One of the proudest moments of my time with the CVA was seeing the Governor of Alabama proclaim Operation Iron Ruck Day. I wrote about that in Operation Iron Ruck Day in Alabama, and the University covered the event in Building community: Operation Iron Ruck 2025.
Own your benefits
While I was at Alabama, I advocated for student veterans who were not receiving the educational benefits they had earned. The UA catalog is direct about this: VA education benefits belong to the student, and it's the student's responsibility to advocate for, manage and document them. Keep copies of everything, check your certification every term, and go to VMA early when something looks wrong. If you're planning both a bachelor's and a master's, read Making 36 Months Count, where I walk through stretching GI Bill entitlement.
Community and the classroom
I studied operations management with a minor in supply chain management, then finished an accelerated master's in operations management in June 2025. I was named to the President's List four times and the Dean's List three times, and every term is listed with sources in my University of Alabama academic honors. The University also recognized my degree in Ryan Gunning of Tuscaloosa Awarded Degree from UA on MeritPages.
My advice for Marines starting at Alabama
- Visit VMA before your first semester and register with them every term after that.
- Find the veteran community early. Go to a Campus Veterans Association meeting or event in your first few weeks.
- Get set up with VA health care through VITAL or VetSuccess on Campus, even if you feel fine right now.
- Build your resume while you study with internships and student worker jobs. I wrote more in From the Marine Corps to College.
- Give back. Help the veteran who arrives a semester after you.
Today I live in Jacksonville, FL, where I run The Calm Seas Project for veterans and first responders. The lesson I took from Tuscaloosa is the same one behind that work: veterans do best when we stay connected. If you're a Marine or veteran thinking about the University of Alabama, I hope this helps. Roll Tide.
