Lander ROTC student and National Guard member committed to life of military service

Determined to “heal wounds you cannot see,” Declan Dunn came to Lander University with a plan.

A sophomore psychology major from Summerville, Dunn is a member of the University’s ROTC program and is looking forward to a career in the military. With the educational benefits offered by Lander University and her military service, she plans to pursue a doctoral degree in psychology. This will prepare her to work with our nation’s veterans and service personnel whose mental health needs may go undiagnosed and untreated.

Dunn’s career choice comes from a realization “that many veterans have mental health problems that affect them long after they leave service, and service personnel experience mental health issues, too,” Dunn said. “I’ve always had a desire to help others, and this is where I can help. Too often, there is a stigma attached to mental health problems, and people don’t receive the care they need. I want to make a difference in this field.”

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs reports that mental health issues are among the most common diagnoses of veterans. Nearly one in three veterans from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan develop post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD). Female veterans are more than twice as likely as male veterans to experience PTSD.

Further, depression accounts for about one in 10 appointments in military outpatient clinics. In 2023, more than 35,500 veterans were reported to experience homelessness, which is often accompanied by substance abuse.

Dunn already has established a record of commitment to the military. She was in the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) program for four years at West Ashley High School in Charleston and scheduled her coursework so that she could graduate a semester early in order to enter basic training for the Army National Guard.

“I wanted to complete my basic training before going to college,” said Dunn, who graduated from high school in January 2023 and within 10 days was at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri to brave the chilling temperatures of winter for her future in the military. “I never really had been far from Charleston, and I arrived in Missouri in the winter. It was freezing 24 hours a day, seven days a week. At times, I wasn’t sure I wanted to be there. But everything worked out.”

She landed next at Fort Jackson in Columbia for additional training and came to Lander in the Fall of 2023 to join Lander’s ROTC program. “I was drawn to Lander because of the opportunities in ROTC and the school’s outstanding psychology program,” she said. “I took a virtual tour of the campus and liked what I saw. When I came for my tour, I loved the campus and the sense of community that I found here.”

At Lander, Dunn became involved in campus life as a peer leader in the University’s LINK program for incoming freshmen and a Presidential Ambassador. “I love being able to give tours and share my love of Lander with prospective students and their families,” she said. “Lander is everything I could want.”

She has earned Dean’s List and President’s List academic honors and has excelled in ROTC training, even enjoying the physical training exercises at 5:45 a.m. required by ROTC.

“I love the order of the military. There is structure to our lives, and I love being part of something that is bigger than myself,” she said.

Although Dunn isn’t aware of any family members who have pursued military service in the past, she has forged a new path for them. “My stepbrother has joined the military, and my family says that they are a military family. They’re proud of that.”

The annual observance of Veteran’s Day across the nation holds a deep meaning to Dunn. “It is exciting to know that I will be that person – a veteran — that I’m aspiring to be as a member of the military. These are the people I look up to now.”