Spring Break
New GI Bill sends Navy vet back to school
Alicia Johnson
Issue date: 10/27/09 Section: News
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Chiuppi, who served four years as an aerographer, which is a meteorologist in the Navy, said his most horrifying encounter was in December 2004.
"The Indonesian tsunami occurred and my ship was first response - we got there five days later, and we saw a lot of dead bodies floating in the water," he said. "That was a bit traumatic ... It took everyone, washed everything away and took it out to sea - we saw a lot of that and we spent 45 days there on land helping people."
The Student
The 27-year-old junior meteorology student said he was discharged from the military on April 28, 2007.
Chiuppi said he attended Santiago Canyon College in Orange County before transferring to SJSU.
"I really had few credits … I pursued and got my associate's degree just this past spring," he said. "I applied to go to San Jose State - one of three schools I applied to."
For students like Chiuppi, the Veterans Services Office offers specific educational benefits.
"One of the big reasons that I came here was because they have a lot of respect for the military," he said. "They give priority registration for military. Especially with the way we have this impaction this semester, it really helps to have the veteran precedence as far as getting units and getting the classes that I need, especially at the upper-division level."
Chiuppi, a full-time student, said he also works part time as a server.
"That allows me to go to school at the same time and make an income," he said.
Chiuppi said he served as a fuel specialist while in the military. He said his primary job was launching and recovering Navy aircraft that included fuel and fuel systems.
"I was also working two other jobs in my free time," he said. "One was aerographer and the other one was intelligence. They just eliminated aerographer from the enlisted side of the military and now they've been moved to the private sector.
"That's what I'm here for. I'm here specifically for the meteorology program in a Cal State system, which only exists here at San Jose State."
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