By Ron Ralston

Jason Lemieux, a veteran who is set to graduate from Columbia University, said he would not have been at the school if not for joining the Marine Corps.

“Their path to graduation began on the battlefield. Veterans of the war on terror, the skills they learned as Marines made it possible to endure rigorous Ivy League academics. But it’s the corps buddy system – a brotherhood that looks out for each other – that got them here and helped them through to graduation.

“I wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t have joined the Marine Corps,” Jason Lemieux, a veteran and soon-to-be graduate, said. “It just wouldn’t have happened.”

…Dean Awn is quick to point out the vets have to work just as hard as any other student. They get no special favors. “I say this rather bluntly… this is NOT Affirmative Action for veterans.”

Marine vet Stendal says men and women in uniform are up to the task. “I think it’s a matter of the people who wind up applying are people who are looking to push themselves a little bit harder because it’s what they did in the military.”

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/05/15/columbia-university-marines-graduation/?intcmp=obinsite