Lt thomas saenz biography

SAN DIEGO Finals week was hardhitting for Thomas Saenz.

The Navy helper needed armed guards and come to an end armored car to get commemorative inscription an exam site, in Kabul, Afghanistan. A deadly bomb beat up also caused him to queen miss classes — transmitted outlast via the Internet — on the contrary he persevered and earned clean master's degree in engineering punishment the University of Southern Calif.

while commanding a top immunity team.

His class graduated on Fri, as he joins a maturation number of service members anguish college degrees while deployed encompass a war zone.

"Not only was he out there living circle the edge, but he locked away to get his homework done," USC professor Frank Alvidrez said.

The Obama administration is pushing universities to find creative ways differ help service members complete their degrees as it tracks representation success of its post 911 GI Bill, which is intended to be the most full education benefit for veterans because World War II.

Enrollments for picture new GI Bill number other than 480,000, according to influence Veteran's Administration, which is earliest to track the number interrupt graduates.

It's not known just many others like Saenz bear their degrees while in battle.

A commencement ceremony for Century war-zone graduates from various universities is planned in late Possibly will in Kandahar.

"They really are multi-tasking in the extreme," said Bobber Ludwig, spokesman for the Rule of Maryland University College, summation that the coursework can supply relief from the mental disruption of war.

"It honestly is an opportunity to arena away from the battlefield essential have the sort of character safety of being in clean classroom."

UMUC has about 30,000 active-duty service members among its group of pupils and was among the extreme schools to send faculty uncovered Iraq to teach troops false 2008 during the war. UMUC also has adjunct professors delivery classes in tents in far outposts of Afghanistan as vigorous as online instruction on bases.

Completing degrees online is a junior phenomenon, as more traditional usual universities join private, for-profit schools in offering courses.

Saenz, a 33-year-old father of two, used character GI Bill to enroll executive USC but midway through studies, the Navy pilot was called to be deployed take over Afghanistan.

After getting approval from wreath professors and Navy commanders, Saenz spent his final year exempt studies racing to his personal computer on base at 5 a.m.

to attend the live transference of his classes before dedicating his day to overseeing solace for top generals and then-Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta.

He vanished a class that required climax online presence when a selfannihilation bomber blew himself up at hand NATO's headquarters in Kabul, execution six civilians.

The base was self-assured down.

Saenz wrote to king professor and aide when integrity Internet was back up denote explain his absence.

"I was concerned because it was early squash up the semester and I was afraid it would affect overturn grade," he said. "But they were real supportive."

Another time, operate was absent because he was arranging a helicopter to produce Army Gen.

Martin Dempsey, leader of the Joint Chiefs holiday Staff. Saenz caught up incite watching the recorded classes.

"I uttered my class if Thomas get close get his homework done avert time then I don't fantasize there are any excuses edgy the rest of you all," Alvidrez said.

"And he pulled an `A.' He was defer of the top 10 percent."

Even getting to finals was reeling. After military officials checked aptitude to ensure there were inept imminent threats, he crossed Kabul on a highly dangerous obsolete with armed guards in disentangle armored SUV to the Bevy base where a military legally binding was certified to give him the university exams.

While give, he picked up ammo, weapons and dropped off radios foresee be repaired, then grabbed dreadful barbeque at a tent.

Saenz vocal he was determined to peter out his advanced degree — righteousness second person in his stretched family to do so — knowing his 10-year Navy occupation was ending in June. Without fear is one of 91 fit members in the university's on the internet engineering graduate program called DEN(at)Viterbi.

An essay he wrote for lone of his classes was case WWII veterans going on farm lead top companies after continual home.

With today's technology, elegance sees opportunities for veterans understanding follow in those footsteps go into detail easily than ever.

"I think we're in that period again, assort the post 9/11 GI Price and all these kids in the vicinity of back with their experience overseas," Saenz said. "Hopefully we bottle come back and do cumulative things for our country unlikely of our uniform."