Scholar Profile
Operation Education Redefines Civilian Life for Wounded Veterans
MOSCOW, Idaho – On any given day, Tom Prewitt spends time analyzing wildlife in Northern Idaho to ensure the animals are adjusting to rehabilitated habitats. Sitting in tall grass or slugging through riverbank mud as a wildlife habitat biologist, Prewitt is at home in the wild and is one with nature.
A 2007 graduate and scarcely a month into his career, Prewitt says he's already achieving his dreams. While wrapping up the final semester of his wildlife resources degree, Prewitt was hired by the Coeur d'Alene Tribe; he began work immediately after his May 12 graduation.
He manages mitigation land acquisitions for the Tribe, helping rebuild terrestrial and aquatic habitat that was lost by hydroelectric dam construction by the Bonneville Power Administration.
"We're rehabbing land acquisitions as replacement habitats to offset those that were lost when BPA built and filled the dams," Prewitt said.
An example of the prompt and easy career transition that all University graduates hope for following commencement, Prewitt's success is meaningful at a different level.
"If not for this scholarship, along with others, I would have been forced to spend more time at work instead of studying,” said Prewitt. “Money started to become scarce the first semester after my son was born, so I cannot thank the University of Idaho enough for creating Operation Education, which recognizes veterans’ unique needs such as mine."
Prewitt's graceful stride as he walks across campus with his wife, Andrea, and son, Logan, on graduation day belies the daily pain he still struggles to overcome. Only if he's watched carefully can someone detect a slight limp.
A veteran of the Army, Prewitt sustained injuries from activities related to his duties, including permanent disability in his knees, three surgically repaired ligaments in his left ankle and a weak right ankle. His injuries hamper day-to-day activities.
In his laid-back manner, despite his injuries, Prewitt shows no disdain for the military. He relays his experience in a matter-of-fact way.
Following his 1998 high school graduation in Boyd, Wisc., Prewitt enlisted as a heavy construction equipment operator for the Army's 101st Airborne Division. Early in his military career, his unit supported Joint Task Force Six, along with the Marine Corps, in Texas for drug and immigration Operation Education Business Plan 16 enforcement operations along the U.S.-Mexico border. Several months after the Sept. 11, 2001, tragedies, Cpl. Prewitt and his unit were assigned to Kandahar, Afghanistan.
As he relays the events of his first day in the war zone, he's still visibly shaken. Prewitt said he didn't know fear until he boarded a plane in Germany in January 2002 and war became a reality. His was the first Army unit to enter the Afghanistan war zone.
"We had to load our M16s prior to takeoff, and when we landed, we were told by the Air Force to hurry up and get off their plane," said Prewitt. "That's when the danger of the situation sunk in."
During the six-month tour in Afghanistan, his unit was responsible for reconstructing and maintaining the runway at Kandahar Air Field in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Prewitt and his unit ensured some 1,700 air-lifted troops had an operable air field from which to take off and land.
After finishing his service stateside at Ft. Campbell, Ky., Prewitt began taking courses at Lexington Community College in preparation for a wildlife resources degree – a field of interest since he was a teenager.
Prewitt shakes his head as he recalls the temporary job he held while going to school. "I was doing landscape work and busting my back for $10 an hour. It made me realize I was in college because I didn't have the body of a young man anymore and I couldn't do this work forever."
With enough credits under his belt, he applied for transfer to the University of Idaho and was accepted. In August 2004, the Prewitts eagerly prepared for their move to Moscow; he was about to realize his dream. Or so he thought.
The day they moved, Prewitt received recall orders from the Army, much to his frustration.
Upon reporting for duty in South Carolina, Prewitt finally was able to meet with a surgeon and was exempted from active duty; he completed his commitment to the Army in April 2006 and returned to Idaho to complete a degree in wildlife resources.
Last fall, through the Hawley-Jameson Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 2905 in Moscow where he serves as chaplain, Prewitt learned about a scholarship that would help fully fund his education. The Operation Education Scholarship was established by the University of Idaho last year to assist wounded members of the U.S. military. The scholarship enhances the Montgomery G.I. bill, which currently provides veterans with $1,075 a month for a maximum of 36 months to cover education expenses. Additional expenses incurred while pursuing an education can cripple young veterans and their families, particularly if the veteran is disabled.
Operation Education provides veterans with financial and social support and resources – such as tuition, fees and books, on-campus housing, transportation, medical assistance, child care, adaptive equipment, tutoring and mentorship – while pursuing a college degree at the University's main campus in Moscow. The program also is available for spouses and is designed to assist veterans and their families as they seek to enhance their future through higher education. The program is the first of its kind in the nation.
"The instant I heard about Operation Education, I knew it was a scholarship for me; I deal with pain every day of my life," said Prewitt. "I heard that the scholarship was established for disabled vets from Iraq and Afghanistan to pursue their education and not feel that their disability hinders them."
He applied for the scholarship in December 2006 and received funds to help cover his educational costs for spring semester 2007, his final semester at the University. "Money was tight for a while, so it was a relief to get it," he said.
This May, with his wife and son looking on, Prewitt received a University of Idaho degree in wildlife resources, commencing a new chapter in life.
Cy Kammeier, editor of
Purple Heart Magazine, said Operation Education is a real feather in the hat of the citizens of Idaho. "I am confident it represents a wise investment; one that will enable veteran Tom Prewitt to continue making a contribution to all Americans," he said.
A second University of Idaho student, not yet publicly named, also is receiving financial assistance from Operation Education.
“We are encouraged that our vision for Operation Education has been realized so readily,” said Karen White, University of Idaho first lady and chair of the scholarship program. “The Operation Education scholarship program is making a meaningful difference in the lives of the wounded veterans that it supports, as well as in the lives of their families.”
The Helping Our Heroes Foundation, which provides funding, services and volunteers to veterans wounded in operations in Iraq or Afghanistan, provided initial funding for the scholarship program and has pledged continued support of the program. Additional support for Operation Education has come from University of Idaho alumni and supporters.
Two alumni donated $25,000 to establish the Lt. Donald Frank Ware Endowment as the first alumni response to Operation Education. An F-100 fighter pilot, Ware was killed in a mid-air collision during a combat training exercise over England in 1963. He attended the University of Idaho for one year and then received an appointment to the U. S. Air Force Academy, graduating as a member of the Academy's second graduating class in 1960. He also was "Top Gun" in his fighter combat training class.
The couple, who wish to remain anonymous, have known many returning veterans who received severe physical wounds as well as emotional scars that may never be fully understood. "These veterans deserve any and all assistance we can provide to help them resume a normal life," said the donor, a class of ' 65 alumna.
She emphasized that just being treated by the veterans hospitals, receiving some dollar compensation, and being "dumped back into society" will not prepare them to be the valuable, experienced citizens we so sorely need. The Operation Education Scholarship will help them overcome difficult obstacles and ensure they get a college education.
"These terrific young women and men can teach us so much about courage and perseverance. We, as a nation, cannot turn our backs on them," said her husband, an alumnus from the class of '63. "Through this scholarship, the University will work with them to regain self-esteem and the ability to support their families. In return, society will be rewarded many times over."
The couple hopes that other alumni join them in donating to the scholarship program. They also urge current students to begin the habit of "giving back" by donating. Individuals, as well as all living groups, can participate.
“We encourage other colleges and universities to establish similar programs for wounded veterans seeking to complete an education and transition to civilian life,” White said. "We've done the hard work necessary to create a pilot program; now it's their turn to step up and provide opportunities for these men and women who have served our country so graciously and honorably."
Support Operation Education Gifts in support of Operation Education may be made by calling the University of Idaho: (208) 885-7069 or toll-free: (866) 671-7041, or online: www.uidaho.edu/givetoidaho.
For more information or to obtain an application for the scholarship, veterans should contact John Sawyer at the University of Idaho, (208) 885-7979 or johns@uidaho.edu, or visit www.uidaho.edu/OperationEducation.
Founded in 1889, the University of Idaho is the state’s flagship higher education institution and its principal graduate education and research university, bringing insight and innovation to the state, the nation and the world. University researchers attract more than $100 million in research grants and contracts each year; the University of Idaho is the only institution in the state to earn the prestigious Carnegie Foundation classification for high research activity. The University’s student population includes first-generation college students and ethnically diverse scholars. Offering more than 150 degree options in 10 colleges, the University combines the strengths of a large university with the intimacy of small learning communities. For information, visit
www.uidaho.edu.