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
I’m ready for the physical training (PT) test this year. I know that I’ve been keeping my training up every day. I got this, I’m shooting for 100+ push-ups and sit-ups, but honestly that doesn’t matter, what matters is the run. I’m getting that mile and a half, I know everyone in my section and … Read more
I love and care about him, but does he love me back? It’s like he is scared to admit that he has emotions, and at times I don’t even know if he really even cares about me. Ever since he moved to Okinawa, he has slowly been getting more cold and distant. I don’t get … Read more
During deployments we have an abundant amount of time to romanticize the day we will arrive home. Will our loved ones be there? What will it feel like to hold them in our arms? It wasn’t until my fifth deployment that I allowed myself to build up fantasies of the perfect homecoming. The embrace of … Read more
Transitioning from the Army to college has been a struggle. Sometimes I am reminded about my age, either directly or indirectly. For example, whenever a teaching assistant asks in section the year each person was born and the general reply is 2000 or 2001, I feel embarrassed, so I lie and say I was born … Read more