Why do so many veterans choose University of Phoenix rather than more legitimate options, like community colleges or public universities?

So, I got my Masters in English Education from UoPX which required me to do student teaching as well. Let me address a few notes I've seen as I have first-hand experience with going to school totally online:
1. Some degree programs are lighter than others. It's the same way at any college. My bachelor's degree at a state university had a lot of easy classes, but part of that was because I already received a majority of the education during training and OJT in the military.
2. All work goes through turnitin.com, which is an online plagiarism checker. I had people kicked out of my classes for plagiarism. And yes, it is in their blackboard system.
3. I used the GI Bill and it was a seamless process. The only issue I ever had was it took a little longer to get placed for my student observations than I would've liked.
4. Yes, their flexible schedule allowed me to work part-time and be the main parent at home for my two children. It was a huge advantage to me choosing UoPX.

Ultimately, look at the degree you're looking to get. For me, I was switching from being a sports writer to a teacher and I needed a school that was flexible for me. And last I checked, when I get my paycheck every two weeks from the school I teach at, I get paid for a masters degree. Nobody in my school talks about where they got their masters from. So, as far as I'm concerned, it doesn't matter what people think of where I got my masters degree from, for my job, the UoPX worked for me and that's all that matters.

People should do what works for them, period.

I can't speak for anyone but myself...I earned an AA degree from UoP and have no regrets. I had horrible grades in high school and that is partially why I joined the military. Once my wife convinced me that I was college material, it took me 20 years (while being a husband, father, Sailor, and part-time youth sports coach) and about a dozen colleges (in 5 states / 8 duty stations) to earn an AA, BA (History), MBA, and MS (Int’l Relations). When I was trying for my Associate’s Degree, each new community college wanted me to basically start over. UoP (which had an office on base) was the only one that said they would work with all of my college credits. I took their required residency courses and graduated with an AA. If not for UoP, it would have taken me quite a bit longer earning my AA and who knows if I would have continued toward my two Master’s Degrees or if I would have even been motivated to complete my BA. Some of you can bad mouth it, but UoP helped me get past that first hurdle and I’ve never looked back.

Great question. UoP is a for profit university that has been black listed by the government in several occasions. Based on the experience of some fellow service members that have attended, I was told that the workload is very light, you get A's for C- work. That you can plagiarize and they don't check your work. Personally, when I was looking at them as an option gor my master's degree, I felt hounded by their representatives, they not once spoke a degree plan, all they were interested in was giving me loans and TA. Many universities that are approved by TA should be reviewed.