Country-girl, Warrior, Single mother (identity redacted)
Early life
Self-described Tomboy and scappy kid who loved to have fun and was proud of her "back woods" heritage. She was just as likely to kiss a boy or punch him in the face depending on the day.
Afgahnistan
Her energetic and social personality quickly lead to a promising career. She studied hard and rose through ranks to become one of the Army's youngest Seargent First Class, male or female! Her inate common sense and "get-to-it'ness" lead to many awards, decorations and recognition. She soon met a loving man, got married and knew, without a doubt, that she would make the Army a career. Life was perfect and she couldn't wait to start having children... Then the orders came in and, well, as she often says, "You can't un-ring a bell".
Little girl gone
War sucks! Everyone's experience is different, and we cannot allow ourselves to engage in "war story" one-upmanship. While most members are deployed, on average for a relative short term, Randi's job required her to spend over 18 months in medical occupation dedicated to recovering decease, war-torn, American dead and wounded. Suffice it to say that the happy-go-lucky country girl "never came back". She describes a deep sense of depersonalization and often wonders, in her own words, if she really did die there and "this is what hell really looks like"; alone trying to find meaning and purpose. (NOTE: though the story is real, names and photos are not)