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AE2 LaTonya Davison, U.S. Navy (1996-2010)

AE2 LaTonya Davison, U.S. Navy (1996-2010)

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In what ways has serving in the military influenced the way you have approached your subsequent life and career?:

My 14 years in the Navy afforded me travel to 22 countries and engagement with countless people from all walks of life. I was an aircraft mechanic/electrician pushed beyond fear and doubt that I could do things I’d never done before or do things that a woman is told she can’t do. This picture is from a deployment to Atsugi, Japan, in 2004, when the airplane engine stranded us on the island for 3 days. I was the most junior enlisted on an “all khaki” or E-7 and above detachment, and as the electrician, I was tasked to help the engine mechanic get the bird back in the sky. We made it happen, and I was awarded a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement medal for my contribution to getting the mission back home. That experience, and so many others during enlistment, contributed to the self-confidence I have today.

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SMSgt Josephine Davis-Fogle, U.S. Air Force (1991-2017)

SMSgt Josephine Davis-Fogle, U.S. Air Force (1991-2017)

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In what ways has serving in the military influenced the way you have approached your subsequent life and career?:

Serving in the military has influenced the way I have approached my life and career in several ways. First, I came from a single family home where my dad was my sole provider from age 12 until I left for basic training at age 18. It was different being a female raised by a dad and all of my friends were raised mostly by moms. I was determined to do great things in life. Once I graduated basic training, I was on full throttle to an amazing career. When I realized I had the opportunity of a lifetime, I made the best of it. The Air Force was giving me money, advancement, training, travel, recreation, education, security and satisfaction and I took full advantage of it. I started off as a Dental Technician. I became a First Term Airmen Center Instructor, an Airmen Leadership School Instructor, and then a Third Tier Recruiter. I then advanced to a Recruiter Flight Chief in charge of 4 offices. This led to me going to the Air Force’s Recruiting School House to be an Instructor Supervisor and the Director of Education. After this assignment, I took on my last job as a squadron Production Superintendent in charge of offices in GA, FL and a portion of SC. This was the epitome of my career.

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SSgt Kevin Hunt, U.S. Air Force (1987-2008)

SSgt Kevin Hunt, U.S. Air Force (1987-2008)

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In what ways has serving in the military influenced the way you have approached your subsequent life and career?:

Prior to my military service, my patriotism revolved around a flag and enjoying the American and military-specific holidays with my family. I didn’t have parents or grandparents who had served in the military to reflect upon. Having served 20 years in the USAF and Desert Shield and Desert Storm, my patriotism and love of this country has no end. I now have 4 flagpoles, stick flags, a solar-powered-led flag, indoor pictures, and clothing representing America, the USAF, and Desert Shield and Desert Storm. It was an honor to serve my country and I’m proud to continue that honor as a veteran.

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OS1 Chris Walgenbach, U.S. Navy (2004-Present)

OS1 Chris Walgenbach, U.S. Navy (2004-Present)

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Of all the military operations you participated in, including combat, humanitarian or peacekeeping operations, which of these made a lasting impact on you and why?:

My volunteer time for the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) is the one lasting impact that really stands out. I was working at an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit in California, and the agency was looking to fill two Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) spots for one of their missions. I and a friend of mine that worked at the same command, a GM2, stepped up and were selected.

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SGT Alfonzo Jr. Mitchell, U.S. Army (2004-2008)

SGT Alfonzo Jr. Mitchell, U.S. Army (2004-2008)

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Riskiest Moment: Was there any specific incident during your military service when you felt your life was at risk? What were the circumstances, and what was the outcome?:

August 11, 2007, a date forever etched in my memory as a testament to the delicate dance between routine and destiny. Serving in the United States Army amidst the chaos of Iraq, I experienced a life-altering incident that defied all odds and affirmed the power of instinct and premonition.

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SGT Marie (Phelan) Vedder, U.S. Army (1999-2007)

SGT Marie (Phelan) Vedder, U.S. Army (1999-2007)

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Riskiest Moment: Was there any specific incident during your military service when you felt your life was at risk? What were the circumstances, and what was the outcome?:

We are all gathering outside of our rooms, ready to mount up when, seemingly out of nowhere, the wind blows with a startling ferocity. The doors all slam at once, as a blanket of silt lifts off of the tiled floor in a sort of miraculous display of unity, hovers momentarily mid-air, and then returns again to its resting place, leaving behind a cloud in the corridor. The building seems to have breathed in sharply, before spewing chaos in a sudden exhalation of violent illness. My confusion lacks the appropriate measure of fear; my complete ignorance of what is unfolding around me shields me from panic. I feel only that the seconds have collapsed, that our every movement and sensation is stifled by the thickness of the dust in the air, resulting in a painfully slow resolution to my question: what has just happened? My eyes are fixed on Mari’s. She is talking. She is the only one talking, but I cannot hear her over the cacophonous ringing in my ears. Sir! Sir, what about Michaels and Sa’ad? They are outside.

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Once a Warrior by Jake Wood

Once a Warrior by Jake Wood

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When Marine sniper Jake Wood arrived in the States after two bloody tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, he was not leaving war behind him - far from it. Ten years after returning home, Jake's unit lost more men to suicide than to enemy hands overseas.  He watched in horror as his best friend and fellow Marine, Clay Hunt, plunged into depression upon returning, stripped of his purpose, community, and sense of identity. Despite Jake's attempts to intervene, Clay died by suicide, alone. Reeling, Jake remembered how only one thing had given Clay a measure of hope: joining him in Haiti on a ragtag mission to save lives immediately following the 2010 earthquake. His military training had rendered him unusually effective in high-stakes situations. What if there was a way to help stricken communities while providing a new mission to veterans? In this inspiring memoir, Jake recounts how, over the past 10 years, he and his team have recruited over 130,000 volunteers to his disaster response...

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In Which Box? by Bob Sheldon

In Which Box? by Bob Sheldon

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Retired Navy officer Bob Sheldon, the author of 'In Which Box?', has drawn from 26 years of experience and his extensive world travels to weave a dramatic tale. About the Book Michael Renaldi, a former regional security officer for the U.S. Diplomatic Security Service, is the protagonist of this globe-trotting debut novel by retired U.S. Navy officer Bob Sheldon. Renaldi is pulled out of retirement by his former colleagues in the DSS, who are desperate for his special skills in the interrogation field. Saudi Arabia requires help with a captured Islamist terrorist, and the need for alternative interrogation techniques will spur Renaldi on his next mission. Along with agent Yuri Hagino, he travels to Japan’s Kansai International Airport in search of a solution, but gets drawn undercover once more into the high-stakes world of espionage. As he strives to implement an efficient replacement for waterboarding, he tests new pain delivery methods on a terrorist. However, an unbelievable...

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The Only Thing Worth Dying For by Eric Blehm

The Only Thing Worth Dying For by Eric Blehm

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'The Only Thing Worth Dying For' is the harrowing true story of eleven Green Berets who fought alongside the future leader of Afghanistan to topple the Taliban in southern Afghanistan and bring hope to a nation during the early days of the Global War on Terror, or Operation Enduring Freedom— when the Soldiers on the ground knew little about the enemy, and their commanders in Washington knew even less. How Eleven Green Berets Fought for a New Afghanistan On a moonless November night, in the aftermath of 9/11, five Blackhawk helicopters infiltrate southern Afghanistan, dropping Special Forces A-Team-ODA 574-deep behind enemy lines in the mountains of Uruzgan. Hundreds of miles to the north, the U.S. military, aided by the Northern Alliance's armies, is routing Taliban forces. However, here in the Pashtun tribal belt— the Taliban's own backyard— Captain Jason Amerine and his ten Green Berets are on a seemingly impossible mission. They must destroy the Taliban from within and prevent a...

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SGM Thomas Payne, U.S. Army (2002-Present)

SGM Thomas Payne, U.S. Army (2002-Present)

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On June 15, 2014, the United States launched Operation Inherent Resolve, a three-pronged campaign against the Islamic State terrorist organization (ISIL) that had made stunning advances across Syria, Iraq, and Libya. At its peak, ISIL had an estimated 200,000 fighters and controlled a third of Syria and almost half of Iraq.  The Uneasy Alliance's Role in the Fight against ISIS The fight against ISIL in the region is ongoing today, but the brutality inflicted on civilians by the terror group, and the danger of its spread sparked an uneasy alliance of otherwise geopolitical foes to come together to confront the threat. The U.S. and Western Allies, Russia, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Iran all sent forces against ISIL, even if they weren't part of the official coalition.  Between 2014 and 2019, ISIL lost 95% of its territory, including Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city and its declared capital at the Syrian city of Raqqa, and its leader, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, was killed by the U.S....

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SCPO Donald Brogdon, U.S. Navy (1993-2001)

SCPO Donald Brogdon, U.S. Navy (1993-2001)

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Of all your duty stations you were assigned to from your Military Service, which one(s) do you have fondest memories of and why?:

The duty station with the best (and worst) memories was my ship in Japan. I was a 1st class when I got there, and I had 24 Sailors that I was responsible for in my division. They didn’t know me, and I didn’t know them, and like most introductions at new duty stations, we began the testing phase right away. They wanted to see just how much they could get away,y with, and I knew that I couldn’t back down no matter how painful it became. I think we have all done that at some point. There was a lot of push and shove, but nothing we didn’t manage to survive. I made it clear from the very beginning that I always expected more from them than anyone else on the ship. No one in this world owes you anything; you earn everything. That’s what you need to do to be successful if you decide to make the Navy a career.

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