Most often when Iraq War stories are told they are from a male veteran’s perspective. In Jennifer’s book, Calmed she writes not only her story but includes her husband’s perspective of what being deployed together was like. When Jennifer put on her brother’s Marine Corps uniform she stood a little taller. It inspired her to look more into the military. She learned about the Army National Guard program that allowed her to attend Boot Camp between her junior and senior years of high school. Then she would complete AIT the summer after her senior year. She enlisted in 2001.
Everything about what she expected the military to be changed on September 11, 2001. She ended up deploying to Iraq and we connected when I received her copy of Calmed. Calmed is a memoir written from her and her husband’s perspective about their unit deploying to Iraq and their story after coming home.
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Deploying to Iraq and writing a memoir
Jennifer went to Boot Camp in the summer of 2001. She described how alone she felt on September 11th. While her classmates were dealing with the horror on TV watching the attack take place. She wondered how this would impact her life as a military member. A little over a year later on Valentine’s Day she was called and told her unit was being mobilized (preparing to go to war) and to withdraw from her classes. She did as directed, report to her unit. They were mobilized for a week and then sent home. She could not re-enroll in her classes. Instead, she had to wait from Feb to June before going to school in the summer. And then on Veteran’s Day, she was called again her unit was being mobilized. She would be heading off to Iraq within the next few months.
Inspired to write Iraq War Stories
Jennifer talked about how hard it was to be so young and dealing with so many emotions alone as she was being activated. But her unit overseas became her family and she wanted to share their story after going through an accident and feeling depressed as summer began. She decided to share not only her story but also her husband’s story as their relationship began to form through that deployment. And his life was dramatically changed. On October 6th, his truck was hit by an IED. The story Jennifer pieced together is beautifully written, you can read my full review here.
Making an impact today
She decided to transition from teacher to continue her business and help others. When she talked about helping others I could see her face light up and can’t wait to see all the ways she will impact others through the work she is doing. She encourages young women to not only look at the benefits of military service but think about what they want for their life. The military may be the right path to get you there, but it isn’t the only path to consider.
Connect with Jennifer:
Mentioned in this episode
Get her book: Calmed: Growth After Trauma
Related episodes:
From the halls of West Point to Iraq – Episode 38 How to Pee Standing Up: an Iraq Veterans Memoir – Episode 87 Being part of the initial invasion of Iraq – Episode 91
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