What were some of your biggest takeaways from your time serving in the US Navy?
It’s all about the people. I grew up in a small town, and I’d never met so many people with backgrounds different from my own. I learned to be on a team with people from so many different cultures. You realize everyone plays a big part to get things done. It made me more sensitive to what I do and say; I wouldn’t want to speak bad about someone on my team.
After you returned to civilian life, did missing your team inspire you to join the US Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC)?
Part of it was missing the team atmosphere, feeling like I was part of something bigger than myself. Going from the team atmosphere to feeling alone was hard on me. I felt lost, and I didn’t have a lot of drive while I was in college. It wasn’t until I found accounting that I realized there was something I liked and wanted to do.
I think that feeling is what leads to a lot of veteran depression and suicide. Veteran suicide rates are a lot higher than those of non-veterans. You go from always having a goal, being on the greatest American team, to not really knowing what’s next. Hopefully you can get a new job or get into college, but a lot of veterans don’t.
In honor of Veterans Day, is there more you can share with us that we should know about the veterans community?
A lot of veterans aren’t getting the care that they need, especially veterans from the Vietnam era. They have all these injuries from wars, but they’re not getting the care they deserve. For example, my uncle has cancer from the chemicals he was exposed to during the Vietnam war. He’s getting the same pension rating as a buddy of mine who isn’t sleeping well. I’m not saying my friend should get less care, but I believe my uncle deserves more.
If people are looking for a way to celebrate veterans on Veterans Day, they should look up their representatives and see how they’re voting on veterans’ issues. I think that’s more important than having a parade or waving a flag all over the place—that doesn’t necessarily make you a patriot. The best way to thank us for our service is to make sure you’re considering veterans when you’re voting.