What does it mean to serve as an Indigenous person? It means Columbus Day is a holiday you get off if you’re not on duty. We even get a 4-day weekend. If that isn’t incentive to continue to perpetuate settler colonialism through glorifying Christopher Columbus as some founding hero for Americans, I don’t know what …
The Historically Traumatic Move from Home: An Indigenous Womxn’s Story of Service Read More »
Tennis great and Army officer Arthur Ashe once said “Being a Black man is like having another job.” That’s not one of the quotes you’re likely to find on the web: perhaps because it’s so not “inspiring.” Instead, his quote about not letting racism and sexism stop you from doing your best is prominent. In …
For me, a Phoenix represents rebirth and regeneration. A phoenix is something born from the ashes that rises and is engulfed in the beauty of grandeur and strength. All veterans, regardless of time in service, rank, or discharge changes once they leave the armed forces. The transformation from sailor, marine, airman or soldier to civilian …
If you were on an Acela train from Washington DC to New York City on the afternoon of August 24th, 2018, you might have seen a woman wearing earbuds doing a very poor job of not crying in public. That woman was me, and those were tears of joy. When I left the military at …
My name is Tramese “Missy” Byrd. I am an African American, LGBTQ, disabled Veteran. At the age of 18 I signed a Division One basketball scholarship to the United States Air Force Academy. The campus felt like home, until I started acting differently and did not know why. During my junior year I began having …
When I think back to my childhood, I cannot remember a lot and the only feelings that stuck with me were anxiety and shame. I always felt different and less than. I was a nervous kid. Junior and Senior High School was a treacherous minefield. I was a little late on the development scale and …
I signed up for the military a couple years after 9/11 happened. I was in DEP (Delayed Enlistment Program) while in high school and my family had something of a tradition or, more accurately, a necessity of doing one enlistment before moving on back to the civilian world. My father would tell my sister and …
When we hear the word patriot, what does that mean? Is it a straight forth answer or is it ambiguous? The official definition from the Oxford dictionary is “The quality of being patriotic; devotion to and vigorous support for one’s country.” The key phrase is “support for one’s country.” To some, this means to support …
When We Hear The Word Patriot, What Does That Mean? Read More »
I am speaking from my vulnerable veteran heart that beats inside a masculine, white, straight, spirited adult man full of flaws and gifts to give this world. My gut has been churning ever since I began to think of what an affirmation of support to Minority Veterans of America would need to say. It was …
The Greatest Privilege I Will Ever Have is Bearing Witness to Your Truth Read More »