My service to this great nation of potential and rewards has been breath taking. I joined the US Army at the age of 17. My mother at the time was battling an illness known as sarcoidosis which is a collection of inflammatory cells in different regions of a person’s body. In my mother’s case, sarcoidosis was in her heart and lungs which cause severe damage over the years. My mother had to stop working around the year of 2000 in which she had to drain my college fund to pay for her mounting medical bills. I made the conscious decision to enlist in the US Army on September 30, 2005 in order to pay my way through school and to care for her financially. I was determined to give back to her for all of her sacrifices for me.
I felt extremely overjoyed not only to send half of my paycheck back to my mother but also serving the United States. In 2008, I received orders to deploy to Camp Arifjan, Kuwait for 16 months. I remained a financial support system while my mother’s health steadily declined with each passing month. In 2010, my mother passed away from complications of heart failure which devastated me. I received the news of her passing while stationed at Fort Bragg, NC. I just had a long conversation with her that day while in my military vehicle on post. Nevertheless, I buried her in our hometown of Darlington, SC and resumed military duties for another 4 years until my retirement.
My military service was patriotic but I was just a young, inner city kid trying to make a life out of circumstances. The US Army gave me an outlet to express my creativity through service. My military occupational specialty was Transport Operator, Drill SGT, and Supply Technician. I spent 10 years of my life serving America through some of the worsts conditions that this world has to offer. I remember sleeping on the back of my truck in the middle of 135 degree weather while waiting on the next mission to start. I remember taking small arms fire from insurgents at night while on convoy. One particular night, my convoy was blown up while leaving Camp Speicher, Iraq. Insurgents were lying in wait to attack us to keep shipment and goods from going to the other camps. On that night I received a herniated disc that I still feel to the current day. I remember losing 40% of my hearing while being a weapons instructor for Fort Bragg in 2009 and 2010. I have to wear a hearing aid in order to speak to my children.
I was also diagnosed with PTSD and Depression from injuries sustained while in combat from Veteran Affairs. My Chain of Command called for me to retire in 2014 after 10 years of honorable service due to my injuries. This time in my life was faced with so many fearful moment of the unknown called “civilian life”. I spent the first year of my retirement in and out of the VA Hospital for treatment such as shots for knee pain, shots for back pain, and pills to control PTSD. I spent a lot of nights awake with trouble sleeping and very little appetite. I felt like used trash with no more use kind of like a “has been”. However, the turning point came when my children became fearful of me dying due to my erratic behavior. I began to get into church and self-help groups for veterans with PTSD.
The following year, I began to do the work of getting my life back on track. I completed my Bachelor of Science in Psychology in 2015. I applied and gained employment as a Substance Abuse Counselor in the beginning of 2016. My practice is centered on helping those with mental health and substance use disorder. In the beginning of 2015, I was ordained to Minister from the approving Pastor of my church. I know spend a lot of time ministering the gospel of Jesus Christ to those who need hope in hopeless situations. I attend Ohio Christian University to obtain my Master of Ministry degree in order to certify as a Chaplain within the Department of Veterans Affairs. This scholarship will help me to afford a Master’s degree since the VA doesn’t pay for graduate studies.
