Blog posts with the tag "Guest Perspective"

Guest Perspective: Learning to Bridge Cultures: A Few Lessons Learned from a Continuing Journey

Like many, my understanding of culture grew through my experiences over time.  I grew up as a Hispanic woman in a predominantly Hispanic part of Texas.  When I went away to a school in the North, I quickly learned I was different than many there.  Nearly every interaction was a cross-cultural one.  It made me stronger, took me out of my comfort zone, and taught me that adaptation was necessary, not just for survival, but to be successful.  It also gave me a whole new respect for a wider and more diverse world. 

Guest Perspective: Serving Military and Veteran Couples in Crisis

I never served. My time would have been during the Vietnam War. But from 1970-1974, I completed my undergraduate studies under a 2-S student deferment; when President Nixon revoked the student deferment with a new draft bill in September 1971, the first to be impacted were men in the Class of ’75 – those a year behind me. When the draft lottery was held in August of 1971 for men in my cohort, I drew #264. (Had I been born on December 4th of 1952 instead of January 4th, I would have drawn #1.) And so I transitioned uninterrupted from undergraduate to graduate studies, completing my doctoral degree three years after the fall of Saigon.

Guest Perspective: Making it Work - One Deployment at a Time

Many years ago, I just had one name and one role.  I was Katie.  That’s who I was, and that was all.  Throughout this journey of life, I have adopted and adapted to other names and other roles.  I have been Airman, Miss, and teacher.  About ten years ago, I became wife.  That was a major role change on its own, but I added “military wife” to it as well.  Having been a military member myself, the military lifestyle wasn’t so hard to adapt to until I added my next name, Mama. 

Guest Perspective: Parents of Service Members - An Underserved Sub-culture of America’s Armed Forces

This scenario played out 14 years ago, as the USS Constellation prepared to deploy in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, and I remember that morning like it happened yesterday. On October 2, 2002, my son joined a new generation of heroes that left to safeguard our country.

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