I signed up for the military a couple years after 9/11 happened. I was in DEP (Delayed Enlistment Program) while in high school and my family had something of a tradition or, more accurately, a necessity of doing one enlistment before moving on back to the civilian world. My father would tell my sister and …
When we hear the word patriot, what does that mean? Is it a straight forth answer or is it ambiguous? The official definition from the Oxford dictionary is “The quality of being patriotic; devotion to and vigorous support for one’s country.” The key phrase is “support for one’s country.” To some, this means to support …
When We Hear The Word Patriot, What Does That Mean? Read More »
“You weren’t born to die, you were born to live.” These are the words that were said to me, during a dream, the night I contemplated taking my life. I joined the United States Navy, in February 2011. I never would have thought that I would follow in my Father’s footsteps in joining the military, …
“You Weren’t Born To Die, You Were Born To Live.” Read More »
I remember the day, April 14th 2004, it was a Wednesday. It was arguably one of the worst days in my life. Definitely up there with my 2nd term miscarriage and the death of my mother. I had been going to medical almost every day for 3 ½ months and they had finally sent me …
My name is Mak Vaden, and I am a 30 year old transgender soldier with 12 years of honorable service and am still serving on active duty orders in the National Guard. I enlisted in 2006 after my first year of college and went into the reserves, shortly thereafter transferring to active duty until 2010 when …
By: Joy Turner During the last few weeks of my first quarter as a grad student, I received a phone call from my mother saying that my two nieces had no clothes to wear. She asked me if I could send some clothes to them as a sort of Christmas present. I was devastated to …
By M.B. Dallocchio Summer 2005 in Ramadi, Iraq was hell. However, the blistering 138 degree heat paled in comparison to the hellfire my fellow troops and I endured with constant rocket and mortar attacks accompanied with daily firefights between us and insurgents on the streets. At this point in time, I had just returned from …
Counseling on the Battlefield: When the Abyss Stares Back Read More »
By: Lindsay Church Service. It’s all I’ve ever known. Before I knew anything about the military or about what it meant to serve my country, I watched my mom embody what it meant to be a military woman. She was strong, she was resilient, she was a force to be reckoned with, and she was …
By: David Keener I wasn’t always the most confident kid growing up in Georgia. Discovering early that I was gay certainly didn’t make life any easier. Most of my childhood was spent hiding. I’m no psychologist but I’m going to bet that it didn’t do any good for my transition into adulthood. I had every …