Tabitha Pooler
Jenn Derdoski
More Than Rosie the Riveter Story By Hannah Lester Photos Contributed
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abitha Pooler said joining the Army was a nobrainer. She was returning to her roots after having been a part of JROTC in high school. In 2006, Pooler was about to graduate from Oral Roberts University in Oklahoma with her first degree. She was feeling uncertain about her future and realized that not only would the Army provide a clear path forward, but it would pay off her student loans. “It felt familiar to me to join the Army,” she said. Before joining the army, Pooler said she’d thought about culinary school, but with her already existing student debt, taking on more loans was not a viable option. So, Pooler thought she’d enlist as a cook. “I did my training, I really liked it,” she said. “I didn’t get put on the fast track to get to be an actual culinary artist or a chef but I was a regular cook. My first duty station was Korea
and it was a really great experience.” After a year in Korea, however, Pooler was asked to consider a different option — human resources. At this time, having not been deployed, Pooler decided to submit her packet for officer candidacy school. Pooler graduated from Officer Candidacy School in 2009 and was selected as a military intelligence officer. “After that, I was an intel officer and it really felt like my calling in the army because I love to be an analyst, I love to use that part of my brain, critical thinking and all that,” she said. She deployed to Afghanistan in an aviation unit. “We had a small contingent of pathfinders, which are infantry men that are trained to land helicopters … so these individuals got attached to us and my boss wanted to be able to use them,” Pooler said. “So he said, ‘let’s make up
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