My service obligation ended in December 2003 after 10 years in the Navy as a cryptologic technician (interpretive) first class and Arabic linguist. With a little nudge from the master chief, my commanding officer approved my request to separate three months early to start the upcoming spring 2004 semester at college. So, with my DD 214 in hand and enough leave saved up to be home for Thanksgiving, I headed out from Fort Gordon, Ga., in my beat-up Jeep Wrangler back to my hometown of San Antonio.

I planned to use the GI Bill to complete my bachelor’s degree in history and become a teacher. Language training at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, Calif., gave me plenty of undergraduate credits to put toward a bachelor’s degree. I enrolled full-time at San Antonio College, where the classes were smaller and more affordable than the larger University of Texas at San Antonio campus. My favorite courses were freshman composition I and II, where I discovered a talent for writing.

After a year-and-a-half, I transferred to the University of Texas at San Antonio to complete my bachelor’s degree in history. The writing skills I gained at San Antonio College served me well, and thanks to the GI Bill I graduated in December 2006 without any student debt.

Over the next 20 years, I held positions as a logistics analyst, special education teacher and IT service desk technician. However, the highlight of my post-Navy career was to volunteer as a docent at the Alamo in downtown San Antonio.

Now here we are in summer 2025, and I have decided to keep my options open for employment. One day a few weeks ago, I came across a part-time job opportunity as a guest experience associate at the Alamo. My heart skipped a beat. I immediately applied, and by the next afternoon I had a request for an interview. At the interview, I told them that I earned a bachelor’s degree in history using the GI Bill, I’m a Navy veteran and I was an Alamo docent.

I got the job!

This happened the same week that a sneak-peek special exhibit opened at the Alamo featuring the stunt bike from “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure.” I felt 10 years old again. Sorry, y’all. It’s still not in the basement.

I’m looking forward to finally using my history degree to guide visitors at the Alamo. It only took 20 years to get here. I hope my dad’s childhood hero, Davy Crockett, would be proud.

Remember the Alamo!

Thank you, GI Bill!

David G. Dvorak, Post 667