Off in the distance I heard a distinct sound — the metallic blades cutting through the air. Could this finally be it? Was this really happening? I touched my face to make sure that I wasn’t dreaming. I was 20 years old, and I was nearing the end of my first deployment. As the helicopter … Read more
When I first arrived in Saudi Arabia, I didn’t know what to expect. I was fresh out of the Air Force and starting my new job as a private military contractor. Because of my background in aircraft fabrication, I had been hired by the Royal Saudi Air Force to help support their jet fighter program. … Read more
My mother sat across from me at her kitchen table. The kitchen table had always been the location where we talked and shared the things going on in both of our lives. When I was fourteen years old, she was sitting at the kitchen table when I shared with her that I had had my … Read more
In September of 2010, I shipped off to Marine Corps basic training in San Diego. I was in the best physical shape of my life, as I was a cross country runner in high school. I was ready for any PT that they would throw at me. However, I was not ready for the mental … Read more
The three of us had become best friends during our deployment and we had just arrived back home. Everyone wanted something from us– phone calls, hugs, stories, presents, the list went on. We decided to go camping because we just wanted to be left alone. Although he was the same age as Dan and three … Read more
“Aye, Aye Officer Frankki!” Dan called from the other end of the store, with a playful grin. His hand was placed on his forehead as if to block his eyes from the sun. He was trying to salute, and it looked completely wrong. It felt completely wrong. Dan was engaged to my cousin, and both … Read more
Before I got out of the Marine Corps my biggest fear was losing the friends I had made there, because I knew that most people moved back to their hometown and moved on with their lives once their service was over. Once I got out, though, I had a different feeling. While my friends did … Read more
Airmen come in all shapes and sizes. You have your tall Airmen, useful for securing high things, like books from shelves. You have your strong Airmen, needed for opening pickle jars and moving large boxes. You have your class “A,” high-speed Airman, the best of the best, whose abilities know no bounds. But this story … Read more
I didn’t keep my uniforms. When my four years of active duty and four years of inactive reserve were finally up, to the very day, I packed all my uniforms, my forest cammies, desert cammies, service alphas and charlies, even my dress shoes and boots, into a trash bag and brought them to an army … Read more
On the USS Halsey, sailing though the Pacific to the Indian Ocean, I lay in my tiny rack, a bed that’s only big enough for one person, and I write a letter to her back home. I write at night when the lights are off throughout the ship and everyone is resting for the following … Read more