Veteran of the Month: Daniel Tucker

An East Tennessee native, Daniel Tucker joined the United States Army following his high school graduation. He served on active duty keeping the Army’s UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters combat ready in a world that changed overnight. Those changes often affect our servicemen and women for most of their lives.

“You don’t think you are changed until you come back and realize, you ARE a changed person,” said Tucker. “The change happens over time and a lot of times you don’t realize you don’t live military life anymore.”

Tucker served on active duty from 1999 to 2002. He did basic training at Fort Knox, Ky., and later at Fort Eustis, Va., to learn his military occupation specialty (MOS) as helicopter mechanic/crew chief.  He moved to his first duty station at Giebelstadt Air Base in Germany.

He spent years as a crew chief for the legendary Blackhawk helicopters used on battlefields around the world. Tucker and his unit kept aircraft flying and at the ready. His crew inspected and repaired the entire helicopter after 1,000 hours flight time. Like most veterans, Tucker downplays his service. He recalls being part of team responsible for keeping multimillion dollar aircraft flying in a changing military landscape.

“The military by nature teaches you to adapt and overcome, to get the mission done above all else,” said Tucker.  “A lot of times, you are so busy taking care of everything, you take care of yourself last.”

Tucker served at his duty station on schedule until a fate day in September of 2001. When the terrorist attacks of September 11 occurred, the game changed forever.

“We were all pulled into gate duty which meant security for the base,” said Tucker. “It was a high alert.”

Tucker and his colleagues remained on alert for months thereafter. The new war on terror meant long, sometimes stressful days. Tucker pulls no punches about the difficulties veterans face during and after military service. He completed active-duty service dealing with alcohol use issues. He later battled both alcohol and substance abuse in addition to health issues connected to his service.

Tucker recognized he needed a fresh start beyond college. He visited the James H. Quillen Veterans Affairs Medical Center to get help. He spent an in-patient stint at the Quillen VA to get help. That said, he stopped using alcohol and drugs altogether more than 7 years ago.

“You get so much stuff buried that it starts bubbling out, you start suffering the repercussions of it,” said Tucker.  “I had to learn how to stop life for a minute and get back on a good path.”

Tucker ultimately found himself at Northeast State. He met with Northeast State veterans’ affairs coordinator John Adcox to inquire about his options as a student. From there, Tucker also applied and was accepted into the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Veterans Readiness and Employment program. This program strives to help veterans with job training, employment accommodations, resume development, and job-seeking skills.

Tucker found sanctuary at Northeast State. Sizing up career trends, he pursued a degree in Computer Information Technology with a concentration in programming. The CIP Programming concentration prepares students for careers as an IT programmers or software engineers. Students learn the features of object programming languages such as Java, the design and implementation of classes and objects, and the process of developing and maintaining software.

Tucker graduated summa cum laude from Northeast State in spring 2021. He won the Outstanding Student Veteran of the Year Award. He graduated as a member of the President’s List for students who graduated with a perfect 4.0 grade point average.

Tucker’s academic success earned him two scholarships awards at Northeast State. He signed up to be a student worker with the College’s Veteran and Military Student Success Center to remain in touch with fellow veterans. He went on to serve as president of the College’s chapter of the Students Veterans of America organization.

“A lot of times veterans will talk to you because you served,” said Tucker. “You want them to know that if they need something they can always come over here.”

The past 18 months of COVID-19 pandemic altered lives around the world. Students of all stripes faced learning challenges for themselves and their children. Like many parents returning to college, Tucker also faced the responsibilities of family life and making sure his children were doing Zoom online courses and following up with their own schoolwork.

“It was rough at times with COVID hitting at that time,” said Tucker. “The teachers were really awesome; they were very understanding with the struggles that we all had.”

Tucker enrolled at East Tennessee State University this fall where he is now pursuing his bachelor’s degree in Information Technology.  His family’s support keeps him going and busy, too.

Tucker encouraged all veterans separating from the military to take advantage of the benefits available to them. Ask questions, apply for scholarships, and pursue opportunities, he said.

“There are a lot of benefits available to veterans through the G.I. Bill,” said Tucker.  “You earned it, use it.”