Beyond the Uniform: Beth King, Army Veteran and Woman Warrior “I was looking at how my dad raised five of us on a military salary,” Beth shared. “I thought to myself, ‘that is something worth looking into.’” Not only did Beth need to support her son, but she believed in the military mission. Because of her father, she always stood up for what she believed in and, most importantly, defended what she valued. At the age of 30, Beth decided to enlist in the Army and leave her son for the first time. It was a risk she was willing to take for family and country. Pushing the Standards Beth was older than most in basic training, which she believes played to her advantage because she was mature enough to know what she wanted to do and how to get there. She was in a male-dominated field and had a big goal in mind. There was no room to cut corners. With a 5-year-old son, Beth King knew what she was risking if she enlisted in the military, but that’s exactly why she went into the service – for the sake of her son and country. “I watched the news as the second plane hit,” said Beth, a retired Army veteran. “I thought to myself; this is just five hours south of me. 9/11 definitely played a role in me enlisting. How could it not?” With memories of the attacks eight years earlier still weighing on her and the need to support her son, Beth joined the Army in 2009 as a CH-47 Helicopter (Chinook) Repairer. She had hopes of becoming the first female sergeant major in her field. That goal was cut short, but she gained a second chance at life instead. For Family and Country Born into a military family, Beth was one of five siblings and an identical twin. Her father spent 22 years in the Navy and was gone most of the time, but she recalls always having what she needed. From a young age, she learned about pride, patriotism, and sacrifice, not realizing that later in her life, all of those would come into play with the birth of her son. Without a college degree, Beth struggled to make ends meet and find a job that could provide for her and her newborn. During a moment of despair, a lightbulb went off. 12
WWW.HomelandMagazine.com / MARCH 2022
“Women in the military are often met with the misconception that they are incapable or need more help because of their gender,” Beth said. “And just for that reason, I worked very hard to get my physical strength to a point where I was equal with the men alongside me. I didn’t want to ask someone for help picking something up or loading anything. I was motivated to prove that I was equal, regardless of my gender.” Her work ethic got her noticed, and immediately upon arriving at her duty station in Fort Drum, New York, she was selected for air assault school. Beth was one of three women in her brigade to graduate. She quickly transitioned up to the Chinook flight company and became the first female in her unit to complete training. In 2010, Beth deployed to Afghanistan for her first — and only — tour. Alive Day Beth was a part of Fort Drum’s General Support Aviation Battalion (GSAB) unit, which had been prepositioning for an air assault all week. The crew helped move supplies and people faster and safer than traveling by ground. The route called for traveling through a valley that only had one way in and one way out. The date was July 25, 2011. The unit decided to fly higher to avoid incoming fire, and, as they were getting ready to land, a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) came
