Week 11: A Strange, Yet Exciting Interview

This week on the Veteran's History Project I had the pleasure of interviewing a veteran with a story that is quite unlike any other I've seen. Unique is not descriptive enough, idiosyncratic is a better adjective. Our veteran was only in the service for about a year before her pregnancy led her to accept an honorable discharge, but it's her story leading up to her service that gives her time in our interview such importance. 

Our veteran experienced a childhood unlike any other; From being adopted four different times with multiple name changes and a traumatic experience in the foster care system, our veteran certainly grew up quick. I found it most interesting that in comparison to others, our veteran joined for reasons regarding structure and discipline. Often times, veterans laugh when we ask them why they enlisted because most often, they didn't have a choice; Their name was called. Our veteran, however, noted that she joined the Air Force simply because it was decision that she could make herself without the authority of others in a court room. She signed her own name, paving her own future. Separately, she knew she was wild child and wanted discipline and knowledge from a military path. We laughed together as she told me many stories of her basic training and her adventures across the Midwest. She remarked how deeply she enjoyed basic and the technical school she went to; She found thrill in the sharp dress uniforms and marching protocol, saying she wish she hadn't been in the band so she could've participated. 

I think the thing that stuck out to me about this interview was the joyous nature of our veteran. She, by example, demonstrates how life can hand us a poor deck of cards. It's our choice on whether or not we want to mock our incomplete deck, or instead learn to play and create with the deck we have. The Air Force, for her, was a way she took control of her education and path in life. It was the Air Force that gave her a sense of duty as veteran, not a foster care child. The cheesy recruitment commercials we often see talking about a sense of belonging was a reality for our veteran. What a blessing to be apart of her story!

Next week is Veterans commemoration week! Between the flag planting on Monday and the commemoration later in the week, I'll have much to discuss here.