Second Acts of Service

UNIVERSITY PRESS

SECOND ACTS OF SERVICE

THEY BEGAN IN THE U.S. MILITARY, NOW THEY GO BEYOND BY SERVING THE FAU COMMUNITY.

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Enlistment

Written by Savannah Peifer

NEWS:

PROGRAMMING

Enlistment

FEATURE:

‘I’VE BURIED MYSELF FIVE TIMES’: STRUGGLES OF MENTAL HEALTH WITHIN THE MILITARY

The military often stigmatizes mental health and its members are left unsupported and struggling.

Written

by

FEATURE:

Savannah Peifer and Jasmine Die

A SECOND ACT OF SERVICE

They began their service in the U.S. Military, now they go beyond by serving the FAU community.

Written

by

FEATURE:

Ma. Emilia Santander

VETERAN OWLS: UNITING WARRIORS

The club is a student organization that seeks to bring together the military community on campus.

Written by Sofia De

FEATURE:

La Espriella

A look into the day-to-day challenges that women face in the military. 14

‘I WAS NOT A PRIORITY TO THEM’: THE STRUGGLES OF BEING A WOMAN IN THE MILITARY

Written by Savannah Peifer

I SUPPORT VETERANS, I DON’T SUPPORT THE MILITARY

Savannah Peifer | Editor-in-Chief

Iwas 4-years-old when I was introduced to the concept of mortality.

Growing up, I never understood what it meant when my father would tell me he fought for my freedom. In fact, it never registered with me until today.

I’ve contemplated for months what I wanted to convey in this letter, I’ve shed tears over it. There is an immense pressure in being a military dependent that I share my thoughts without adding to a strong stigma already stacked against our veterans.

As I spoke to my mom, something my dad said made every fear float away.

“Your feelings will not disappoint me. I fought for you to be able to have those feelings and to have the freedom of the press to share them,” he said.

As someone who surrounds myself with others who have progressive beliefs, I’ve noticed there tends to be a disconnect where people are quick to criticize the people who served, and not the system who victimizes and tears soldiers apart.

I support veterans, I don’t support the military.

When I was four a physician diagnosed my 6-year-old brother with a brain tumor. At this time, my father was deployed to Iraq. While facing the possibility my brother could pass, I was also comprehending what it meant for my father to be in an infantry position, his life in danger every day. My father was flown to Seattle, where my brother’s operation was, and stayed through my brother’s recovery.

From there, we moved multiple times, living in Alaska, Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee.

I don’t have lifelong friends. The military takes that chance away from anyone connected.

Anytime I asked him about mental health and how the military treated it, he would open a drawer full of pills.

“They pump you full and tell you to shut up,” he told me once, and I’ve never told him but it’s always stayed in my head.

My father retired from the Army after

23 years. His retirement is what opened my eyes to the disservice veterans face when re-entering civilian life.

The day he retired was the last day he spoke to his social worker. At the time, he had given over half of his life to a system that threw him to the curb. Speaking with veterans for this issue, multiple of them repeated that sentiment.

The suicide rate for veterans is 150 times higher than civilians, according to the American Addiction Centers.

According to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, 33,129 veterans are homeless.

One in 10 veterans are diagnosed with substance abuse disorders, according to the National Institute of Health.

These are just a few of the horrifying statistics that show how little support veterans have.

These are people. It’s easy to place the blame on the people who are in front of us rather than a system that preys on weaknesses and exploits them.

My father always told me, “choose the hard right over the easy wrong.” For a lot of us, the “hard right” is being able to acknowledge the failures of an industrial complex while acknowledging the good in the people who served.

Is your anger towards them, or is

your anger towards a system that needs to be rebuilt entirely?

This is the final print issue for my time as editor-in-chief of the UP and I’ve designed it to make you rethink how you see veterans. The truth is uncomfortable, and if that’s how you feel, I’ve done my job.

Savannah visiting her father during a training open to families.

Savannah and her father Jason attending a father-daughter dance in 2011.

Understanding the struggles veterans face can help us understand the failures of the military industrial complex.

ENLISTMENTS: THE EVOLUTION OF U.S. ARMY RECRUITING STRATEGIES

Enlistment rates have declined. How have recruiters adapted?

For some, the decision to enlist in the military is largely driven by wellestablished passion and a desire to fight for their country. For others, recruitment effort is the leading factor in their decision.

Col. Tim MacDonald, a military fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations with over 25 years of active military service, explained that he was not recruited, but instead sought out the military. He started his journey at the New Mexico Military Institute, where he joined Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) entering active service as an Army 2nd lieutenant. His most recent assignment was director of operations for the Combined Joint Task Force at the Horn of Africa in Djibouti, Africa.

Military enlistment experiences vary, especially in recent years. MacDonald shares COVID-19 kept recruiters and potential recruits from having faceto-face engagements, which in turn degraded recruiting efforts. He also believes that lower enlistment rates could be attributed to the lack of compelling reasons to join the military.

Big incidents such as 9/11, for example, cause a massive spike in numbers. Over 180,000 Americans joined the ranks of active duty service and nearly 73,000 joined the reserves after the attack, according to the official New York City website, NYC.gov. It has been 22 years since 9/11 and enlistment numbers have only lowered.

Another explanation for the recent drop in enlistments is exposure from family members who are currently serving or have previously served in the military.

“We’ve become a family business, if you will,” said MacDonald, adding that his views don’t necessarily match those of his employer.

Approximately 87% of those who serve in the military had and/or have family members in the business, according to MacDonald. Therefore, there is a great deal of youth who lack exposure to the military because they have no connections to it. For those kids, it is a matter of figuring out how to get involved.

That’s where the recruitment process comes in.

Military recruiters are responsible for interviewing, training, and evaluating potential candidates. They walk their candidates through the process of taking the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) test, completing the necessary paperwork, picking their specialty, and swearing them into the Army.

Capt. Sammy Firkins, company commander of the U.S. Army Recruiting Company in Jupiter, Fla., says traditional recruiting strategies still work to some extent.

“You know, telephone calls work, cold-calling still does work. But I do think social media is the way of the future just because that’s how the new generation talks to each other,” Firkins said. “I mean, I don’t know how many people can tell me their parents’ phone number right now without actually having to look at it. But you can damn sure know, they know their Twitter handle.”

Army recruiters still set up tables in hallways at noon, the cafeteria during lunchtime, and at sporting events at colleges and universities, because school outreach allows for the opportunity to find and inform interested students about the enlistment process in a comfortable setting.

“I think it is a very good and dependable way to recruit,” said Sgt. Jessica McNeill, an Army recruiter with the Jupiter Army Recruiting Company. The 2022 recruiting goal for the Army was 65,000, but they fell 15,000 short — the equivalent of a division and a half. This sudden drop in enlistments caused recruiters to utilize social media more than ever before.

Elisabeth Gaffney | Staff Writer

Col. Tim MacDonald official headshot.

Above: ”Future Soldier Prep Course black hats are pictured here, on Aug. 22, 2022 at Fort Jackson, S.C. (Davis Winkie/Staff)” Courtesy of ArmyTimes.com

Below: Capt. Sammy Firkins headshot, courtesy of Firkins.

Sgt. Jessica McNeill was stationed in Hawaii when she volunteered to be a recruiter. Now, she recruits with the Lake Worth Recruiting Station in Greenacres, Fla. She uses multiple recruiting strategies but finds that social media has been most effective with the younger generation.

“I’ve noticed that it gains a lot of the younger generation’s attention,” said McNeill. “They’re all on social media. They’re all on their phones.”

McNeill said she may be in the Army, but she’s still a human, and using social media as a way of relatability to show that has brought in more potential recruits.

The U.S. Army Recruiting Command (USAREC) also created the following programs, each having an impact on different groups:

Buddy Program

USAREC introduced the Buddy Team Enlistment Option in May 2022, which ensures a group of up to four recruits the chance to undergo training together and eventually get assigned to the same duty station after graduation.

To qualify for the buddy enlistment option, each candidate must agree to pursue the same job and enlist on the same day, according to USAREC Public Affairs.

Future Soldier Prep Course

In August 2022, the U.S. Army started the Future Soldier Preparatory Course pilot program at the Fort Jackson training base in Columbia, South Carolina. This program gives potential candidates the chance to overcome academic and physical fitness barriers in order to meet the Army’s standards.

According to a Jan. 9 press release by the Initial Military Training Public Affairs Office, 92% of students enrolled in the course in 2022 graduated with the ability to continue to basic combat training.

Soldier Referral Program

In January 2023, USAREC introduced the Soldier Referral Program, which gives current soldiers an incentive to refer friends and family into the service and obtain a recruiting ribbon for their uniform as well as a promotion.

Firkins said recently there have been over 4,000 new army referrals and 66 new enlistments across the country since the launch of the program.

Above: Sgt. Jessica McNeill and Senior Sgt. Devaughn Williams speaking with Atlantic High School football players about Army opportunities during lunch at their weekly table set up. Jan. 12, 2023.

Below: Sgt. Jessica McNeill posing for a picture while tabling at SouthTech Academy. Feb. 6, 2023. Courtesy of McNeill.

Courtesy of the U.S. Army

‘I’VE BURIED MYSELF FIVE TIMES’: STRUGGLES OF MENTAL HEALTH WITHIN THE MILITARY

Savannah Peifer | Editor-in-Chief

Jasmine Die | Copy Desk Chief

“You took me with you. I’ve buried myself five times and I’m tired.”

Last month, Bryan Drake faced a harsh reality familiar to many of those who have served in the military – one of his friends and colleagues from his time in the service committed suicide. This was the fifth time the 4-year Marine Corps veteran received this agonizing call.

“It’s always the ones that you never see coming,” he detailed tearfully.

The suicide rate for Veterans is 150% higher than that of the general population, according to a 2023 article released by the American Addiction Centers.

Drake views the discrepancy as a symptom of a larger issue; a lack of mental health education and resources in the military.

The Conversation

A 2022 study conducted by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), reported that 6,146 veterans committed suicide in 2020, equating to 16.8 suicides per day. Veterans who retired in 2019 were at the highest risk of suicide compared to years past.

Drake claims the military exploits individuals in vulnerable situations, which he believes could contribute to the high suicide rates.

“The military is really good at two things: preying on the weak and the poor and people who feel like they don’t have anywhere else to go,” he said.

Drake said during his service, there was little to no conversation about mental health and any conversation was in “strip clubs or bars” with other veterans.

“The majority of them are already broken, and the military does not help.” he said.

Michael Carroll, a 10-year Marine Corps veteran, disagreed. He said there was a conversation surrounding mental health, but it was one of silence and shame.

“There was a culture of mental health, it was called, ‘Take a big pill, suck it up and go and move on with your life.’”

Carroll and many of his colleagues abused alcohol as a coping mechanism, Drake included.

“Everyone knows what’s going on. Everyone’s depressed. Everyone’s a functioning alcoholic,” Drake said.

Both Drake and Carroll explained, once a service member brings their mental health issues forward they are removed from their position which can come with an air of disappointment and shame, exacerbating pre-existing mental health issues. This experience pushes them away from using the resources that are available to them.

Lisa Browne Banic, a 20-year activeduty Army and Reserve veteran, said she experienced a similar culture.

“If you didn’t have your shit together, you were wrong,” she said.

Banic said the only conversation around mental health issues took place when she retired. She now serves as a mentor at Grey Team, a Boca Raton based non-profit and veteran owned health and wellness organization whose mission is to reduce veteran and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)related suicides.

The military often stigmatizes mental health and its members are left unsupported and struggling.

“The majority of them are already broken, and the military does not help.”

-Bryan Drake

Photo of Bryan Drake in the gym. Photo by Paul Leachman.

Gender Issues

According to the Department of Justice Annual Report on Sexual Assault in the Military, 35,875 service members experienced some form of unwanted sexual contact in 2021, which includes roughly 8.4% of active-duty women and 1.5% of men.

Banic believes this number is inaccurate due to victims not reporting their experiences.

“Statistics say that 4 out of 5 females and 1 out of 6 males experience military sexual trauma. I would bet money that it’s more; I believe it’s 5 out of 5 females,” she said.

Banic continues, there is little support for anyone who experiences sexual trauma in the military and that often

holds devastating effects for victims.

She also argues the lack of reporting and conversations about military sexual trauma furthers a negative narrative and stigma for victims.

16% of women and 1% of men reported gender discrimination in 2021 and 29% of women and 7% of men reported sexual harassment – two statistics that overlapped for Banic when she was told why she qualified for promotion during her time in the service.

“I actually believe that I didn’t get promoted to a higher rank because I would not be in sexual relations with some of my decision makers,” she said.

Carroll believes situations like this have a significant toll on women’s mental

health while serving. He said oftentimes women hide their experiences because they don’t want to be “slut-shamed.”

Banic agreed with this, saying women also hide their stories out of fear of losing their position.

Drake believes the stigma around mental health is especially harmful to males because “masculinity is a top priority” for men in service.

Women have an entirely different culture around mental health than men, Banic argued. She outlined the intensified pressures and stigma on women, attributing it to many issues, including the military being a maledominated profession.

Above: Bryan Drake posing in front of the mirror at the gym.

Photo by Paul Leachman.

Below: Lisa Browne Banic, mentor at Grey team, devoted to the rehabilitation and health of veterans.

Photo by Nicholas Windfelder.

Banic gave birth to her daughter while in the Reserve. At the time, federal law did not allow for maternity leave and because of her position, she had to take a leave of absence, losing all of her health benefits.

Doing so had major consequences for her overall health. While she was supported by other serving mothers, she said she often relied on food from her church to support her and her daughter. This coupled with little mental health resources led to a decline in her mental state.

“I should have been able to rely on the military and I couldn’t because of the law,” Banic said.

Since then, the federal laws have changed allowing maternity and paternity leave, as well as other resources for parents.

Transitioning

According to Carroll, leaving the military can be one of the most impactful times in a veteran’s life.

“It’s the number one hardest job you’re going to do as a military service member. The more years that you put into the service, the harder it becomes to transition,” he said.

Drake agrees, saying that differences between military and civilian culture have made it difficult to connect with non-veterans since leaving the service, so as you leave the military you lose a close community of peers and friends who understand you on a level others cannot.

“It’s really fucking lonely,” said Drake.

Carroll feels that the military neglects to support service members transitioning back to civilian life.

Lisa tells a story about her group putting forth the effort to call veteran team members and their families on their birthdays to wish them the best.

“My life got flipped upside down, turned around, and they threw me in the trash,” Carroll said.

Ways to Help

Drake, Banic, and Carroll believe one of the best ways to help veterans is to foster communities where discussions on the intersections between mental health and veterans are supportive and open.

Banic urges civilians to put effort toward assisting veterans before times of crisis and to practice empathy and compassion when speaking to them.

“The United States military is probably the most encompassing in terms of inclusivity and diversity and if we have all this talent, imagine if the communities opened their arms to all of what we are instead of throwing us in

the broken toolbox,” she said.

Additionally, Banic encourages veterans to form communities and openly share their experiences. She believes education is the key to stopping stigma and changing the narrative surrounding veterans.

Drake hopes non-veteran civilians will understand veterans are often caring and kind people who served for the greater good.

“They will give you the shirt off your back whenever you need it. In the freezing cold, they’ll give you their coat and they will freeze to death before they let you do that,” he said. “They are great people. The majority of them are just already broken and the military does not help.”

Photo by Nicholas Windfelder.

A SECOND ACT OF SERVICE

They began their service in the U.S. Military, now they go beyond by serving the FAU community.

Ma. Emilia Santander | Managing Editor

Military Friendly, the military ratings division of VIQTORY, has recognized Florida Atlantic University as a “Military Friendly” College for several years. The recognition functions as a standard to measure the university’s ability to create opportunities for the military community.

This not only applies to the student life aspect, but employment as well.

Several staff and faculty members are veterans and their service transcends into their work supporting students.

JUSTIN EGGEN

As a form of patriotism, Justin Eggen, coordinator of Family Engagement & Mentoring within the university’s office of New Student Transitions and Family Engagement, decided at a young age that if there was still conflict and war over 9/11 that he would enlist.

He signed up for the Marine Corps in 2008.

Eggen deployed to Afghanistan in the 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion where his main duties included identifying IEDs or Improvised Explosive Devices. Spending much of their time in jeopardy still sticks with Eggen.

“A lot of times what you’re thinking about is your next step, because your next step in Afghanistan could be your last step,” said Eggen.

After his time deployed in Marjah and Sangin, he planned to reenlist in the Special Forces. However, he was unable to proceed due to an injury and his rank’s “boat spaces” had already been filled –so he opted to be honorably discharged in 2012.

“Boat spaces” is a slang term referring to the certain amount of spaces for each rank in that job, or Military Occupational Specialty, because the Marine Corps is a department of the Navy.

“I think [my parents] might have been surprised that I came back because I was on the front lines,” said Eggen. “A lot of my friends didn’t make it back, or a lot of my friends lost their legs or their arms, or they made it back and they lost their fight to the their demons, you know, to like suicide. So, I think that my parents

were just happy that I was home.”

For the next two years, he dedicated himself to his education at Palm Beach State College learning architecture but soon realized that he was not in a state to be in an academic environment.

“War is chaos. War is nothing but nonsense, is insanity, actual insanity, and action. When you see what humans do to each other through violence, it changes your perspective. It changes how you operate your life,” he described.

Eggen put himself in therapy through the Department of Veterans Affairs for the next four years. While working manual labor jobs, he started writing poetry inspired by his time in the Marine Corps.

Then in 2018, Eggen became a father and on his son’s first birthday he began to reconsider his path.

“Fatherhood is the best thing, honestly. I love it to death. I love my son more than anything. That’s why on his first birthday I was like, ‘alright, well, how’s my son going to view me in 20 years?’” he said.

Eggen applied to FAU as a political science major where he thrived as a community leader. Eventually, he would become the president of the Veterans Owls Club for the Fall 2021 semester.

Donald Gabriel, director of the Military and Veterans Student Success Center, said Eggen was “exceptional” during his time as a federal work-study employee.

Additionally, he was president of the Veteran Owls Club in the Fall 2021 semester.

Djerry Clement, a graduate student in accounting, is a Marine veteran who was vice president and treasurer of Veterans Owls alongside Eggen.

“His company was very enjoyable. He was very disciplined. He was laid back, professional, well spoken,” said Clement. “But he was a type of person that, you know, you could kick it back with, but you can also work together with them in terms of courteousness and professionalism.”

Eggen eventually decided to become more involved in the FAU community and applied to a job in the Career Center, while he worked on his master’s degree in political science and government.

By then, he had already published five poetry books and won the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation’s Robert A. Gannon Award, which recognizes a Marine poet dealing with Marine Corps life, in 2019 and 2020.

After a year, Eggen transferred to his current position.

“I just wanted to continue growing and into a better individual and just keep moving forward, and everything that I’ve been doing, I feel like has been a proper step in that direction,” said Eggen.

Eggen feels poetry has helped him translate his trauma. He also believes that exposing this area of literature could help other veterans.

Clement read Eggens’ “Outside The Wire: A U.S. Marine’s Collection of Combat Poems and Short Stories” and described it as “pretty damn good read” which resonated especially well with him.

He has written 10 total poetry books. Currently, Eggen is applying for the Ph.D. political science program and helping prepare for “Owls in the Outfield,” an April 29 event to help bring parents and families together with student affairs professionals at the university.

“I love being here. I love the University,” he said. “My opinion is that because everybody’s been positively impacting and influencing the things that I’ve done.”

Justin Eggen in the Student Support Services building. Photo by Ma. Emilia Santander.

Eggen stationed overseas. Courtesy of Justin Eggen.

ANGELA NICHOLS

As a first generation student, she continued her education with the goal of going to law school to become a politician.

“[Ann Richards] was a real inspiration for me as a young woman because she came from a working class family, she rode a Harley. She was a ‘do no harm, take no shit’ kind of woman. And she was like a really powerful Texas lady, like the way I identify. And so I thought I could make a difference in the world by being a politician,” she said.

However, Nichols had a change in plans when one of her professors at Pennsylvania State University challenged her thinking. Her new aim was becoming a professor.

For years, she worked as a substitute teacher at her old Texas high school while raising her son and working towards her Ph.D.

In 2014, Nichols applied to 36 jobs in academics. Yet, she chose FAU.

“I decided the position here was a better fit for me. I was going to be allowed to teach the classes that I preferred, to teach in my own way here in South Florida. And who doesn’t want to move to the beach, right?” she shared.

Nichols teaches multiple classes on topics including human rights, comparative politics and research methods. She also is the assistant director of the Center for Peace, Justice, and Human Rights.

Currently, she is researching women’s engagement in Colombia’s Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, the largest Colombian rebel group. Political science professor Kevin Wagner described Nichols as a great colleague and fantastic teacher.

“I think that she really allows students to open up their own minds in their own assumptions about how the world works. And I think that’s a great thing to see from a professor at FAU,” said Julian Rey, senior political science

Nichols believes dignity is the most essential quality a person can have and discussing aspects of it is difficult, but by retelling personal experiences she is able to get across to them.

“In order to get dignity, I think we have to have empathy. And so through the stories, you’re able to elicit a kind of empathy that you can’t get when you’re just teaching a sterilized set of facts,” she said.

Jeniffer Lopez, a junior political science major, says that Nichols’ classes touch sensitive subjects, but she manages to make them “light” and relatable.

Nichols strives to make her students aware that they are part of a bigger

She feels the military community is very isolated and misses the sense of comradery and loyalty. She advises everyone to consider the various reasons veterans enlist in the military and that “patriotism” comes in different

Left: Nichols won Battalion Soldier of the Quarter for the 314th Military Intelligence Battalion in San Antonio, Texas, in 2003. Courtesy of Angela Nichols. Bottom Left: Nichols in the intersection between the Breezeway and Diversity Way. Photo by Erika Fletcher.

FEATURE:

VETERAN OWLS: UNITING WARRIORS

The club is a student organization that seeks to bring together the military community on campus.

Sofia De La Espriella | Staff Writer

The Veteran Owls club currently has around 120 active members united by a shared mission: support each other in transitioning to civilian life and continuing to build camaraderie. The organization was founded in 2010 by a group of students who wanted to create a community of support representing all branches of the military.

When the club was first founded, it was more veteran oriented, nowadays the board is building strategies to expand their collaborations and have more dependents and Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) students to achieve a broader spectrum.

To be eligible for Veteran Owls, you have to be a veteran, JROTC student, a dependent of any kind, or on active

duty in the military.

“We are just trying to broaden our horizon to any and everyone who is interested and falls in the category of JROTC, dependent, active, or veteran. We try to give everyone a positive outlet for their lives. Most people that are veterans don’t like being around a lot of people because some might have post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or mental disabilities, but we try to give people a place to calm. We have a little intimate place to feel comfortable,” said Veteran Owls President and Army veteran Keyon McDavis.

The organization offers a range of services and resources to support student veterans and dependents, including academic

Left to right: Veteran Owls Club’s Lenine Dolidor, Natalie Noesi, Keyon McDavis, Deyonce Briggs and Michael Carroll in front of the Student Union. Photo by Iris Delahoussaye.

advising, mentorship programs, and scholarships. They also offer support through college, assistance with financial aid and housing resources, and other educational and career preparation services.

“Whether it is interviewing skills, how to write a resume or only going out and being around people like me and discussing the military. The relationships and the bond we build every semester are what keep me here,” McDavis said.

For example, the FAU’s Veterans Florida Entrepreneurship Program is an entrepreneurship course sponsored by network partner Veterans Florida that provides Veterans with the knowledge and skills they need for starting and/or growing their businesses.

“I like to strongly endorse the resources that the veterans program has for entrepreneurship through the college of business because I think that those who were in the military are very mission oriented. They are geared towards service, leadership, management and mission accomplishment and getting the job done and so I think that kind of mindset and skill set translates very strongly into what we teach in the programs we offer,” said Bill Patch Paczkowski, retired Captain of the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps and instructor with the FAU College of Business.

Paczkowski was a Captain in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps. He is an army veteran with 13 years of experience as a military lawyer mostly working on the combat services support capacity.

The Veteran Owls also organize social events, community service projects, and other activities to help their members connect with each other and feel a sense of belonging. Holding events such as environmental

clean ups, a fun day at Boomers, mini golf, arcade, beach days, and volunteer activities, such as painting a house for a veteran, creates a brotherhood bond between the members, just like they

had in the military.

“If It wasn’t for Veteran Owls, I would probably still be my anti-social self locked up in my dorm. Being a part of Veteran Owls I have definitely learned to grow as a person. I’m extremely shy so I’ve learned to make my own little community at the club,” said Natalie Noesi, a current board member, who serves in the U.S. Army.

One of the most significant challenges facing veterans as they transition to civilian life is the feeling of isolation and disconnection.

“Veteran Owls are just the continuation of the unbroken bond you build on the military. Once you get out into civilian life that brotherhood is gone and it’s such a night and day

difference of what it is in the military and what it is once you get out. So once you are out in the civilian world you are lost trying to figure it out so having something like Veteran Owls is perfect for that,” said Michael Carrol, a Veteran Owl who joined the marine quarter in 2005 and went to Iraq.

The different experiences of the Veteran Owls members reflect the big influence the club has on their college experience.

“We understand the sacrifices and that is a big bonding point. Understanding what others have been through,” said Noesi.

In addition to their support and service efforts, the Veteran Owls provide a unique perspective and experience to the wider campus community. Many members of the club bring a wealth of leadership skills, discipline, and diverse backgrounds to their academic and extracurricular pursuits.

“It’s important to get a different perspective,” said Jennifer Gerdes, marketing sophomore dependent and club member. “We endorse other students to also get involved. To talk to other people and see how they went through life compared to them with their military experience.”

Veteran Owls Club members discussing the upcoming semester.

Photo by Iris Delahoussaye.

“IMAGINE HOW CHALLENGING IT IS IF SOMEONE HAS BEEN ON A TOUR IN AFGHANISTAN. HOW DO THEY CONNECT WITH SOMEONE WHOSE WORST DAY EVER IS WI-FI WAS RUNNING SLOW? IT’S A CHALLENGING WAY TO MAKE CONNECTIONS AND VETERAN OWLS ARE THERE FOR THAT,” SAID PACZKOWSKI.

IN THE MILITARY

A look into the day-to-day challenges that women face in the military.

Savannah Peifer | Editor-in-Chief

“I just fell in love with the idea of it.” When Jamie Shelton was 16, she interviewed an Army recruiter for a class assignment. After that conversation she knew she was destined to serve.

Being one of the first co-ed classes to go through basic training in Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.,in 1995, she experienced what she now recognizes as gender discrimination.

The Workplace and Gender Relations Survey of Military Members, conducted by the United States Department of Defense Sexual Assault Prevention and Response, found 16.1% of activeduty women experienced gender discrimination, 28.6% experienced sexual harrassment, and 8.4% experienced unwanted sexual contact.

When Shelton attended basic training, she said there was one room to house all of the women attending. She said, as a group, the women expected to be treated the same as their male counterparts. But, as their time progressed they noticed a lack of consistency.

Their male superiors made sexual remarks and pushed them past their limits. She said a lack of understanding of female anatomy and training led to multiple hip injuries among the women. Despite this, she continued through her training.

“You’re going to military up, you’re going to soldier up and you’re going to be part of the thing,” she said.

Women were 2.5 times more likely to experience injuries during their training, according to Army Wellness Centers.

About halfway through basic training, a female drill sergeant was

brought onto the staff in an attempt to offset the difference between the men and women.

While Shelton was on “Kitchen Police” duty, a shift where she was removed from exercise and put into the chow hall to serve dishes and clean them, her drill sergeants were not on campus. Two male replacements were brought in for the day.

After they went through the typical physical training routine, the male recruits were dismissed while the females were not.

“The two male instructors were there, they had them doing very inappropriate exercises for about an hour. There wasn’t much left to the imagination. Then they were dismissed. Well, that affected quite a few of the girls and so somehow they had broke away at some point during the day to report it,” she said.

She said all of the recruits were interrogated the next day as part of an investigation. She is not certain of the outcome of the investigation or punishments imposed on the men.

Shelton excelled in every task during her training. She said while she was being recruited, they told her basic was a “mind-game,” and this is what allowed her to succeed.

“I was always trying to show them that they were not going to break me and they never did break me,” she said.

She was repeatedly punished by her superiors when she exceeded her peers in a task. They often gave her extra exercise and once opened a package of cookies her aunt sent her, allowing every one of her peers to share while she could not have any.

She said there was a male recruit that performed similarly to her, and he was never subject to punishment but highlighted as a pinnacle of training.

When she was 19, she served as a Black Hawk mechanic. Originally, she was receiving accolades and being put in high positions within her crew. As time progressed, she started being sexualized by her counterparts and filed a formal complaint.

After her complaint, she was moved from her position and forced to clean almost everyday. At the time, she felt like this was detrimental for her future.

“I felt bad. Because what have I done? I’ve ruined my career. I’ve ruined opportunities. I was thrown in the back of the line and there was nothing that I could ever do to get back to where I was,” she said.

When Shelton became pregnant, she experienced an even worse shift in her treatment. Her pregnancy even affected her husband, as he was punished.

“He received a counseling statement and an Article 15 for destruction of government property. We were already barely surviving and he lost a whole rank over it,” she said.

An Article 15 is a non-judicial punishment where punishments can include demotion, restrictions, a fine taken out of salary, or oral reprimanding.

She said her superiors urged her to get an abortion or place her child up for adoption. When she declined, her

Throughout the pregnancy, her command refused to accommodate her physical limitations, despite her providing a doctor’s note. Being a mechanic, she was surrounded by chemicals.

“That unit was notorious for working the women so hard and around chemicals that they shouldn’t have been around, that they would lose their babies,” she said. “If the military wanted you to have a family, they would have issued you one.”

Shelton believes the military has many more improvements to make to support women, but the progress they have made is astounding.

“I’ve always been for women and children. So the fact that I was able to kind of blaze that trail for other people. I feel like that was an honor,” she said. “I was now a symbol of anybody who was going to be coming in after me.”

Shelton urges women to continue serving in the military, despite current inequities.

“Women may never be paid as much as men. Women may never be treated equally as men and I’m well aware of that. But we can continue fighting for the other people who are going to come after us,” she said.

Angela Christen, an 8-year Army medic, saw the service as a way to escape an abusive household and provide for herself.

‘I WAS NOT A PRIORITY TO THEM’: THE STRUGGLES OF BEING A WOMAN

Angela Christen after her graduation from basic training. Courtesy of Christen.

During her time in basic training, a female drill sergeant put immense pressure on women to perform to a higher standard. Christen was originally resentful, but grew to realize this prepared her for future endeavors.

Christen received a recommendation from a sergeant major for promotion and submitted it to her superiors. She claims her superior openly told her he was not submitting her for promotion.

“There were other males that were in line that were also in the running for promotion, and one of the men told me that he would not be submitting my packet for promotion, very specifically because when I was a female and I hadn’t been in the military long enough in his eyes to deserve the promotion,” she said.

Christen said this was very difficult for her to navigate, as she had never experienced a situation like this.

“I didn’t know who I could trust and who I could go to talk about the situation to get it resolved,” she said.

After filing a formal complaint with the U.S. Army Inspector General, she was promoted.

In 2004, Christen became pregnant with her son. From there, her command was extremely hard on her. Consistently commenting on how her uniforms fit, refusing to acknowledge her physical limitations, and after she gave birth pushing her to lose weight.

“I didn’t feel like I fit, it was very demeaning,” she said.

After the birth of her son she was afraid to pump breast milk while at work, so she would often wait until leaving or utilize her lunch break

In 2007,she gave birth to her daughter and her command had a completely different reaction. They offered her private space with room to pump and were understanding of her limitations.

“I felt like the times in the military were kind of changing and that they were being more respectful in the aspect of they knew this was something I had to do for my child’s nutrition and they created this space and allowed me to do it,” she said.

Christen’s husband also served at the same time. His special operations job meant their superiors always prioritized his time over hers. Her command would grow resentful towards her because she had to leave when her child needed to be taken care of.

Although in different units, they were placed on deployment at the same time. Her superiors gave her the option to sign her kids over to another family member. She chose against them, and transitioned out of the military.

“They were very angry when I was not deploying with them because I was a mom,” she said.

She said her childhood influenced her decision significantly and it is no one else’s responsibility to raise her children.

“According to the military, if I wasn’t willing to send my kids to be cared for

by someone else, so my husband and I could both be deployed at the same time then I didn’t need to be there,” she said.

Christen said resources for women veterans are extremely low. For example, she now works for the only organization that provides transitional housing for women veterans in the Eastern United States. She said there are 10 organizations that offer this same housing for their male counterparts.

Karlyn Davis served three years in the Army as a way to provide for her daughter.

During her time in basic training, one of the most notable differences between the men and women recruits was the high number of hip injuries among the women. For most of her colleagues, these injuries led to removal from the service.

Davis said she never experiences outright discrimination, but a lot of her male counterparts made sexual innuendos that often made her uncomfortable.

Throughout her service, Davis’ biggest challenge was proving she was able to complete the physical tasks and exercises similarly to the men. In her experience, the age of her chain of command greatly affected how they treated the women.

“I feel like it was more so the older chain of command that did not like women being in the military in general,” she said.

Davis was a single mother and her superiors were often not understanding of this. They would often make her stay late, despite knowing she did not have a babysitter during those hours.

“There was another incident where someone in the motor pool threw a wrench, almost hit somebody, and then broke a piece of equipment,” Davis said. “They refused to let me leave to go get my daughter from daycare and the daycare was about to call the police on me.”

Davis’ service ended due to an Army wide downsize where thousands of soldiers were removed, making it extremely difficult to provide for her child.

“I was not a priority to them,” she said.

Davis was denied her Department of Veteran Affairs benefits, these can include disability pay, home owners loans, and life insurance. She then had to refinance her home, placing more strain on her financial needs.

Davis now is a mother of five and runs a daycare.

“I feel like I’m way more successful now than I was. I feel like I can actually provide a better life than what I could in the military,” she said.

Left: Angela Christen during a cyst removal while in El Salvador. Courtesy of Christen.

Right: Photo of Jamie Shelton, formerly known as Jamie Frank, after her basic graduation. Photo provided by Shelton.