In the small restaurant he owned in his hometown of Reno, Nev., Jesse Morgan Raines stood in awe as he watched the Battle of Fallujah unfold on CNN. At that moment, he knew the global war on terrorism would not end anytime soon.
Compelled to serve, he sold his restaurant shortly thereafter and enlisted in the Army. That was 14 years ago.
The major highlight of serving, he says, was that during his deployment when his elite reconnaissance and surveillance team was sent to Afghanistan, none of the soldiers in his squadron were killed. Raines, however, was wounded twice by improvised explosive devices, commonly known as IEDs. He was knocked unconscious, enduring burns to his head and neck, as well as several lacerations on his face.
After serving for eight years, Raines was honorably discharged in 2013. Now, he is at the University of Pennsylvania in the College of Liberal and Professional Studies. The first in his family to go to college, Raines is a senior majoring in Africana studies in the School of Arts and Sciences.
He credits Service2School, a non-profit organization that offers peer-to-peer admissions assistance for military veterans, with helping him to make the move to Penn.
“Even though I’m a 35-year-old high school drop-out that has spent more time in Afghanistan than a traditional classroom, I have really found a home here at Penn. I love my 19-year-old undergrad friends, just the same as the soldiers I deployed with,” Raines says.
Today, he volunteers with Service2School as an undergraduate ambassador to help other veterans gain access to higher education opportunities.
Paired with a handful of other veterans who are similar to him in some way, Raines helps them to research schools they’re interested in, introduces them to transitional programs like Warrior Scholar, guides them through the application process, and determines the maximum amount of their Post 9/11 G.I. Bill benefits. As a result of his volunteer work, Raines has helped 25 veterans become college students, including a few at Penn.
In addition to serving as an active member of the Penn Student Veterans Association, he has recently launched a new organization, Keep Veterans in the Classroom, because he strongly believes that veterans contribute to Penn’s diversity.
“Not only do veterans have the unique experience of having served in the military, many of them did so in combat, but also 40 percent are people of color and 70 percent are first-generation, low-income students, including me,” says Raines.
He will deliver opening remarks during the annual Veteran’s Day Flag-Raising Ceremony on College Green on Monday, Nov. 12.
“During these formative years, it is critical for a future senator or president to have experiences with veterans before they vote on a bill to put ‘boots on the ground,’ in a distant country to solve a problem because of the failure of politicians,” he explains.
Raines says his military training has thoroughly prepared him for the academic rigor of Penn, including keeping his priorities in order and staying focused.
“The first day, you get a syllabus that contains every bit of the same information as a five-paragraph ‘operations order,’” Raines says. “Learn this to get this grade. Do this to accomplish this mission. It is generally the same.”
He adds that motivated veterans quickly figure out the key to success is time management.
“The stress of college is different to someone who spent multiple tours in Afghanistan,” Raines explains. “I cope and adapt better to the rigorous academics here because of my time in the Army.”
He’s currently completing his thesis on the history of post-colonial mercenaries in Africa.
“Just like the military, you get out of the experience what you put into it,” Raines says. “My experience has been overwhelmingly positive. I was born in a trailer park in Nevada and now I’m graduating from an Ivy League university in May.”
