PRESERVING A MILITARY LEGACY FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS
The following Reflection represents Maj Stephen Kobelas’s legacy of their military service from 1951 to 1971. If you are a Veteran, consider preserving a record of your own military service, including your memories and photographs, on Togetherweserved.com (TWS), the leading archive of living military history. The Service Reflections is an easy-to-complete self-interview, located on your TWS Military Service Page, which enables you to remember key people and events from your military service and the impact they made on your life.
If Eligible, Did You Use the GI Bill After Leaving Military Service? If So, Please Describe Where You Attended College, and How This Benefited Your Career Following.
When I retired from the Air Force in 1971, after twenty years of service, I thought I was closing one chapter and opening another. Real estate seemed like the right fit — civilian, practical, and full of possibility. As it happened, the local community college, Trident Technical College, North Charleston, SC, is just a short walk from our home, and I’d already taken a handful of night courses while in uniform. Those credits transferred neatly, and with the GI Bill in hand, I enrolled and chose Accounting.
I didn’t know it then, but those classes would become the backbone of my next venture. After a couple of years in real estate, a close friend and I decided to open our own brokerage. Suddenly, all those ledgers and balance sheets weren’t just homework — they were the scaffolding of a business. I had spreadsheets spread across every flat surface in the office, tracking commissions and income long before Excel made life easier. We built something solid, and we built it well.
Years later, after a successful career, I found myself restless. Retirement didn’t feel like an ending; it felt like an invitation. Around that time, the College of Charleston launched its online degree program. Out of curiosity, I asked whether any of my old credits still counted. To my surprise, almost all of them did. I wasn’t eligible for the GI Bill anymore, but South Carolina has a wonderful rule: residents over 65 can take courses for just $50 each. How could anyone with a curious mind turn that down?
So, I enrolled again — older, wiser, and still hungry to learn. I worked at my own pace, one class at a time, enjoying the process as much as the progress. And now, as I write this, I’m only five courses away from earning my bachelor’s degree. When I graduate, I’ll be 94 years old. I may even be one of the oldest persons ever to earn a degree from the College of Charleston. That might be worth checking.
What began with the GI Bill all those years ago didn’t just help me start a career — it helped me build a life of continual learning. And that, I think, is the real benefit.
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