Complex Perceptions of Identity: The Experiences of Student Combat Veterans in Community College

This qualitative study illustrates how complex perceptions of identity influence the community college experience for student veterans who have been in combat, creating barriers to their overall persistence. The collective experiences of student combat veterans at two community colleges in northwestern Massachusetts are presented, and a Combat Veteran Conceptual Identity Model to illustrate the ongoing negotiation of identity combat veterans experience while in college is intro- duced. Notable implications for future research and practice in Student Affairs are discussed