U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Alexander Turner receives award

College Wasn’t the Plan, But Air Force Vet Found a Home at UA

Alexander Turner shakes hands with Ret. Air Force General Phillip Breedlove.
U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Alexander Turner (right) shakes hands with Air Force four-star retired Gen. Philip Breedlove.

For Alexander Turner, attending college wasn’t even a dream.

None of the men in his family had gone, and it wasn’t something his family had ever even discussed.

So, the Montgomery native set his sights on what he viewed as the most realistic road forward post high school: the military.

In 2010, a full year before he graduated from Robert E. Lee High School, he signed up for the U.S. Air Force. Immediately upon graduating, he was shipped off for basic training.

“There were 12 of us in a two-bedroom house in Atlanta,” he said. “They just told me to do something, whatever that was. In the environment I was in, I didn’t see a lot of people going to college – I was born in ATL but grew up in Montgomery. So, I never even thought of going to college.”

But now, four years after serving active duty in the Air Force and an additional four in the Air Force Reserve, the senior airman E4 is poised to graduate from The University of Alabama with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science.

He said a mentor in the Air Force talked him into attending college on the GI Bill, and, after giving it some thought, he decided that UA was the right fit. He enrolled in 2016.

More than $30 million in GI Bill benefits are awarded to UA annually as well as another $15 million paid directly to students for living expenses and books, according to UA’s Office of Veteran and Military Affairs.

UA was a school Turner knew could help him achieve his goals, he said.

“It was a different culture going from the military to being a full-time student, but UA really helps,” Turner said.

“When it comes to school, going to a computer lab, going to a de-stress place, finding people you can talk to who’ve been through your experiences so that you don’t feel alone, I’ve received that at The University of Alabama.” Alexander Turner, UA senior 

Turner is scheduled to graduate in May, but his graduation date may be delayed because the Air Force Reserve is shipping him to Georgia in January for training, which is required for promotion.

Turner is presented with an award.
U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Alexander Turner, middle, receives an award.

“This student has only one semester left to graduate, but he took the news really well because it’s what he signed up for,” said Dr. Kim Bissell, associate dean for research in the College of Communication and Information Sciences, who is Turner’s research in society professor.

“I was shocked and dumbfounded, and said we’d be able to do whatever we have to do, like provide online classes to help him graduate on time.”

With more than 400 students in the military at UA, Turner’s situation is not uncommon.

And, for Turner, though he’s been in school full-time for nearly four years straight, a slight delay is not a problem.

“The VA (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs) said they’ll see if they can extend my semester,” he said. “If not, I’ll have to wait to the summer or fall of 2020 depending on if those classes are offered or not.

“It’s a sacrifice I have to make. It’s what I signed up for. If my unit feels that it’s time for me to rank up then I have to go through the training.

“The military made me focus more on what I needed to accomplish here and remember why I’m here. ‘What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger’ has always been the mindset that I’ve had. I’m glad the University is willing to work with me.”

When Turner graduates, whether that’s in the spring, summer or fall of 2020, he plans to attend physical therapy school or return to active duty as an aerospace physiologist.