Veterans in My Life: Breanna's Story

Sneaky selfie with two veterans in the background!
My grandpa (left) is a Navy veteran, and my father (right) is a Nat'l Guard veteran. 

It could be argued that I was born into the Armed Services culture--I think it's stuck with me to this day.  I was born in Oceanside, CA, right off of the Marine Corps base Camp Pendleton, where my father was stationed. I tease him, to this day, that we should have stayed in that warm climate! Alas, the Marine Corps life was no longer his calling, so my father moved us to Minnesota, where he began serving in the National Guard. 

My father, the human sacrifice? He's the one laying down, about to be "gutted" by his comrade.

After my parents divorced, my father remarried to a soldier. Our family grew to a whopping five kids (four boys and me). Between my former Drill Instructor father and my soldier stepmother, there were minimal issues in keeping us in line, homework done, and chores completed. It was "Yes ma'am/sir" and "No ma'am/sir" and all manners were paramount. As a child, and especially as a teen, I resented this strictness. I grew to resent it even more when my father was sent on four consecutive deployments while I was in Junior High/High School.

My dad is directly to the right of the man in the black shirt.
Not sure whether this is Iraq or Afghanistan...

The first deployment was to Iraq. Not long after he left, we got a call: He had been injured. A base housing generator had blown up near him. He jumped in front of the men that were with him to shield them from the blast. This left him with some very bad burns and a traumatic brain injury. After some skin grafts and a few months of recovery, he was ready to return. As a teen, I didn't understand why he felt "unfulfilled" and needed to complete his deployment. This led him to his deployment in Kabul, Afghanistan with the Engineers Corps. He was able to finish this one out, and we, thankfully, didn't get a phone call. His next deployment was at the WI Nat'l Guard base in Tomah, WI (yes, that's technically a deployment for this MN Nat'l Guardsman :) ). Last, but not least, he was sent to Seoul, South Korea. That deployment ended just in time. The day I graduated from high school was the first time I got to see my father in person in at least a year! 

My dad now. He lives in western WI. Miss him!

As an adult, I'm very grateful for those values my father instilled in me.  I know to be respectful and what it means to be dependable. I know that when I work with a team, it's important that I do my duties to help the team succeed. I also know, if my father can survive what he survived, that I can survive anything I'm going through! I'm forever grateful for the sacrifices he's made and I'm so proud of him. 

Thank a vet---they deserve it!

Written By: Breanna B.