The Next Call to Serve

LANDER, Wyo.—When Isaac Cantrell set out to use his GI Bill, he wasn’t looking for a lecture hall. The 29-year-old New Orleans native had already tried that path before deciding he wanted something more immediate, more hands-on and more aligned with his commitment to public service.

He found it in a 75-day Wilderness Medicine and Rescue Semester now under way at NOLS.

“I was looking for a unique way to put my GI Bill to use while getting my EMT certification,” Cantrell says. “I want to practice medicine in austere environments, and this seemed like the ideal way to start on that career path.”

A former combat cameraman in the United States Marine Corps, Cantrell left active duty in December 2021. After a stint at film school, he joined a wildland fire crew—an experience that further solidified his interest in working in high-risk, unpredictable environments. Now, he hopes to use his EMT certification to volunteer with NGOs focused on disaster response and crisis relief.

Hands-on classroom time gives students the opportunity to learn and practice wilderness medicine first hand.

Cantrell is one of eight military veterans currently enrolled in the Wilderness Medicine and Rescue (WMR) course, a semester-long experience designed for students pursuing careers in outdoor leadership, rescue, and medicine. The program combines classroom instruction with extended field sections, building skills in wilderness medicine, technical rescue and expedition living.

Born in part from founder Paul Petzoldt’s service in the 10th Mountain Division during World War II, NOLS has long maintained ties to the military community. Petzoldt, who trained soldiers in skiing and mountaineering at Camp Hale, helped shape an educational philosophy grounded in leadership, adaptability and decision-making under pressure.

Today, that philosophy is embedded throughout the NOLS curriculum. In Cantrell’s course, for instance, students spend 75 days progressing through a sequence of training environments, beginning with a wilderness hiking section that builds foundational backcountry living and travel skills. They then move into a month-long Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician (WEMT) curriculum, followed by field-based instruction in rock climbing and vertical rescue, swiftwater rescue, and river travel. 

While on the backpacking section of their course, WMR students learn wilderness skills and develop their personal leadership styles.

For Cantrell, the experience has already been formative. “My experience has been awesome,” he says. “I’m only a few days into the WEMT course and already feel like I’m learning so much.” 

He and his classmates had just returned from a backpacking trip in southeastern Utah, and Cantrell says he was struck not only by the stark beauty of the landscape, but also the lessons it had to teach. 

“Beyond the scenery and challenge of the environment, we also had a lot of instruction and guidance regarding leadership that was profound and impactful,” he says.

That combination of technical training and leadership development is central to the NOLS model—and one reason it resonates with veterans navigating the transition to civilian life, says NOLS Registrar Zach Nadkiak. 

“Many veterans find the NOLS course environment really supportive,” says Nadiak. “The teamwork, shared challenges, and tight-knit communities can feel both familiar and meaningful.”

For more than two decades, NOLS has accepted Veterans Affairs (VA) education benefits, helping make courses like this one more accessible. Today, nine Wyoming-based NOLS courses are approved under Title 38 and the Veterans Educational Assistance Improvements Act of 2010. Since 2016, more than 300 veterans have enrolled in NOLS expedition courses, with 21 participating in fiscal year 2026 alone.

For Cantrell, that support and camaraderie have made a big difference. 

“I expected to be the only veteran on my course,” Cantrell says. “Showing up and seeing seven other veterans was a welcome surprise.”

As he works through the semester, Cantrell’s goals remain clear. “I’m looking to gain the practical skillset to practice medicine in atypical environments,” he says. “I want to pass, of course, but more importantly I’d like to finish this course feeling confident and competent stepping into an emergency medical role outside of a standard EMS role.

He says NOLS is the perfect fit – especially for servicemembers like him.

“NOLS courses present some really unique challenges, and it makes sense to me that it would attract vets who are looking to grow through those challenges and look for a new path. It’s a great opportunity.”