Jennifer Attila

This may be hard for some to read, but not everyone is built to be career military. In fact, many people choose to serve one tour of military service and leave after their contract is complete. For those who choose to make military service a career and attempt a 20 or more year career of active duty service, promotion becomes increasingly complicated and competitive as time moves forward.

This is a topic that is close to my heart because I have seen first-hand many service members lose so much because of life circumstances.

On Tuesday, September 11th 2018, three Marine Corps bases in North Carolina were in the direct path of Hurricane Florence. The cities surrounding these three bases mandated evacuation.

When I was in high school, I remember getting that military recruitment phone call. As he attempted to convince me that joining the military would be a positive decisions for my future, I kept thinking in my head “Who really wants to go to war for a career?” More than a little rudely, I ended that phone call, not realizing that one day I would develop a passion to work with those who dream of going to war.

Walking through the airport on occasion you have the opportunity to see a service member and their family saying a tearful goodbye. Over and over the service member will have respectful civilians come up and shake their hand and thanking them for their service. The focus falls on service member, and again, their tearful wife, and distraught children, become invisible.