That may be true, but it’s also simplistic. To schools suffering the aftereffects of the recession on endowments, state education budgets and the general ability of students and their families to pay for an education, servicemembers and their families represent a large potential pool of students with a ready source of tuition money. Many schools recognize this.

But many schools also note what I think is the most important benefit of military students on campus: diversity. Certainly, the relatively sheltered, limited experiences of most college and university freshmen create concern for many newly enrolled veterans. Will these kids question them about war or the military or some perceived difference in values or backgrounds?

Yes, they might, said Lieutenant General William B. Caldwell IV, the subject of our cover Q&A this issue, and that’s an excellent reason why servicemembers should attend civilian schools, he said. The commander of the Combined Arms Center at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., Caldwell said he learned first hand about the value of diverse educational institutions from his time spent at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

“I’m an enormous advocate now of military fellowships in civilian institutions because of that very experience,” Caldwell said. “I was challenged the entire year. People would find out I was in the military and they would immediately start asking me questions about everything from our policies of things like Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell to ‘Why did you invade Panama?’ I found it an incredible opportunity…to educate others about their military.”

Is this perhaps unasked-for role of unofficial military ambassador asking too much of our veterans? Please e-mail or call me with your thoughts.