Just grazing my left ear, the wineglass shattered as it impacted the oak paneled wall behind me. “Anyone who ever had a heart wouldn’t turn around and break it.” Sarah almost sang it as she cried. Oh, God. Here she goes again with the lyrics. A memory of a nearly violent argument with her in … Read more
August 2008. This would be my first time home since I had enlisted in the Navy. Home is wherever Mom is. It could be any corner of the world. The last time I had seen her in person was July 2003, five long years ago. I had taken a 30-day leave, packed a small duffel … Read more
I joined the Marine Corps in 2007. He was a Marine as well, but two years later it all ended. It was as if the light had been turned on in my room for the first time. I saw it clearly lining the top shelf of my TV console with my DVD player and speaker … Read more
In late September 2004, I completed the military’s survival and evasion course known as SERE. The purpose of this training was to provide me with the skills I would need to survive, should my aircraft ever go down in enemy territory. Even though it was a simulation, the goal of the course was to make … Read more
I am a woman and I am short. I am an Airman and I am a Veteran. I am a sister and I am an aunt. I am a student and I am a friend. Some of these I chose, and some of them just are. An important decision I made during my military service … Read more
We had just completed a patrol through the town walking the main dirt road. It was a warm day, with a hint of a cool breeze coming from the Helmand River. Our left was a desert cliff that opened onto an endless expanse of sand and a jagged mountainside reaching to the horizon. On our … Read more
It has been said that the Marine Corps boot camp is the hardest boot camp of all, both mentally and physically. I am not sure what the other boot camps are like, but I can tell you that the Marines boot camp was pretty tough, and it took a lot of determination to earn the … Read more
It was warm and sunny day before the 2009 Afghan presidential elections. Sellers at the bazaar hustled as schoolgirls with white headscarves skipped hand in hand back from one of the many tent city schools in suburban Kabul, Afghanistan. Like so many times before, this moment was broken by others. Yet, this time is especially … Read more
The night is calm. I look up and I see the bright stars reflecting on the ocean. I stroll through our flight deck, contemplating our mission, feeling excited, yet cautious, about what lies ahead. Since high school I wanted to join the military and accomplish something meaningful for my country. Now I’m on board a … Read more
After I graduated from high school in 2007, I decided I wasn’t going to attend college. I felt that college was for people who didn’t know what they wanted to do. I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to become a hip hop superstar. In the predominantly African American community I grew up … Read more