Veterans’ college enrollments swell under post-9/11 GI Bill

Brad Matera is an Afghan war veteran, an Army medic who got cut loose from the service last spring amid a broader downsizing of the military.

Matera, 22, looked for full-time work to support his wife and infant son, but found few prospects for a decent-paying job. So this fall, he enrolled at Clark College in Vancouver, hoping to build on his military experience to become a nurse.