People often ask me what it was like to be a woman overseas. When I first came home I was confused as to why. Before I left for Afghanistan my teammate and I had been given a head covering to wear. We thought it would be good to wear them to be respectful toward the […]
Category Archives: Afghanistan
Stories from when I was deployed to Afghanistan on a PRT. Most focus on the different missions I went on as Civil Engineer and a female in Afghanistan
The Struggle of Coming Home from War
Episode 7: The Struggle of Coming Home from War Welcome to episode seven of Women of the Military Podcast. In today’s episode your host Amanda Huffman interviews Ashley Metesh-McCoy. Ashley grew up as a military brat. She served in the Army National Guard while attending college and participating in the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) […]
Air Force Civil Engineer, Amanda Huffman
Episode 1: Air Force Civil Engineer, Amanda Huffman Welcome to episode two of Women of the Military Podcast. In today’s episode your host Amanda Huffman will tell you about her military experience, challenges and more. Amanda served in the military for six years as an Air Force Civil Engineer. Her first assignment was to Holloman […]
My Unlikely Journey to Military Service
Many military families leave a legacy that causes their children to follow in their footsteps. My journey to military service had so many twists and turns that I’m not even sure how I ended up here. I never dreamed big. I was just an ordinary girl with an ordinary story. What was the point? Dreaming […]
6 Things Soldiers Miss While Serving Overseas
What do you miss when you are serving overseas? Depending on where you are deployed to you can either have all the comforts of home or be roughing it in a tent or even sleep under the stars. While I was deployed I was somewhere in the middle. We lived in tents, but had concrete […]
Women in the Military: Serving Overseas
What is it like to be a woman serving in the military overseas in Afghanistan? How were you treated? Was it different from the men on your team? What did the Afghan men think of you?
Deployment Memories
It is interesting how something like a deployment stays with you forever. I have been home from my deployment for over eight years and last night something triggered me to have a dream about being back there. Deployment memories came rushing back. And by something I know exactly what it was, a picture of dead […]
There’s a Difference between Military Spouses and Veterans
My family attended a ceremony a few months ago. The announcer asked people who were military veterans and military spouses to raise their hand. My hand went up next to my husbands, as did my blood pressure. You see I am a military spouse. And I would be the first to tell you how hard it […]
Changing the Conversation about Mental Health
When people think of mental health linked to deployment their minds often jump to combat situations, being injured or dealing with dramatic situations. While these situations do happen overseas and can cause Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), there are other issues with being in a combat zone that can easily be overlooked. I deployed to […]
A Female Veteran: The Struggles Don’t End When You Leave
What the hardest part of being a female veteran? People don’t get you. Most people who meet me don’t know that I am a military veteran. Why would they? I just look like a normal girl, like you. I don’t tell people when I first meet them, it just doesn’t come up in conversation. And […]
