Vietnam War veteran, 60, gets bachelor's degree

From Reading Reader: Vietnam War veteran, 60, gets bachelor's degree
He's served in Vietnam as a U.S. Marine, was injured by gunfire from an AK-47 rifle and spent three and a half months in a military hospital in Guam before returning to serve two more campaigns during the Vietnam War.

He's worked with Berks County veterans and organized a Toys for Tots drive at Penn State Berks.

And on Saturday, he graduated from the college with a bachelor's degree in business - at age 60.

But Arthur Brunt doesn't consider himself anything special.

The Reading resident shrugs when referred to by others as an inspiration.

"Inspiring? Inspiring to who?" he asked. "Every individual hits a certain point where their intrinsic needs outweigh the extrinsic needs. I think that's what happened to me."

Brunt, a Philadelphia native who moved to Reading in 1980, could have spent the rest of his life living off his military pension.

"But it wasn't what I wanted," he said. "I didn't want to hold still. I just didn't know what direction I wanted to go in."

And so, after years of working odd jobs - as a truck driver, bus driver, short-order cook and small-business owner, to name a few - Brunt enrolled at Penn State Berks in 2009.

Despite having an associate's degree and two semesters at an online university under his belt, he recalled, "I was scared out of my mind."

"Being an older person and being in the company of younger people, feeling inadequate and thinking that you're a has-been and they must be a lot smarter than you that's the general consensus I think most adults have coming in," he said. "How can I keep up? These kids are so bright."

"I was really shy and quiet," Brunt said.

Referring to his suit and tie, he recalled with a laugh, "I didn't at all look like this. I came across as a rugged blue-collar guy. But I thought, 'I'm not dumb. I can do this.' So I proved it. And I went through an amazing transformation."

Brunt recalled with a smile the support he received from both faculty and fellow students.

"I got more than education," he said. "Not just knowledge and facts, but exposure to different people and cultures through the events that I attended, hobnobbing and networking. And these young people were always talking to me. It seemed like anything I said they wanted to hear about. I felt so welcome and relaxed."

Though he's old enough to be a father to many of the students, Brunt will wake up today with the same goal as many of his classmates with whom he received his diploma at commencement Saturday: finding a job.

He hopes to work in the public sector - ideally the Veterans Affairs office.

For many years, he recalled: "I thought my life wasn't successful because I didn't have anything to show for it. But it's not what you have to show for it, but what you've been able to do with it. I'm rich in discipline and morals."