Heroes’ Legacy Scholarship

My dad served our great country for twenty-five years. When he was seventeen years old he joined the Marines and served for seven years. Then he served the rest of his time in the Air National Guard. He comes from a long line of service members and has had a family member serve in every conflict since World War II. I guess you could say it was in his blood. But he was also taught that it was a priority, and we all owe this country something for the opportunities and freedoms we are blessed with. I was raised with those same lessons. My dad was out of the Marines before I was born but served in the Guard from the time I was born. While we didn't have to move around a lot I do remember sending my dad off on deployments. It was always so hard to say goodbye and I would always have stomach aches until he came back home. We would go to the base and watch for the big KC-135 that would bring him home. After a lot of hugs and tears, we would then excitedly see what he brought home for us. He didn't talk a lot about his deployments but we always had a flag flying in our front yard and we always knew the pride and honor my dad felt with being a part of keeping us free. My dad suffered some physical and mental issues due to his service. He has a good amount of hearing loss and has had different health issues attributed to his service. Unfortunately, he also has some mental and substance abuse issues. Watching him and my mom trying to deal with those issues has been a challenge. I know he wouldn't change his time in the military, but I wish he could have had a better way to deal with the demons that came home with him. I have chosen to pursue a career in psychology and hope to be able to help veterans deal with the challenges they face after serving. I know PTSD is all too common among veterans and so is substance abuse and homelessness. Nobody deserves help, assistance, and understanding more than those who willingly choose to serve our country and preserve our freedoms. It breaks my heart to see this group of heroes ignored and cast aside all too often. We need to get back to honoring these men and women and giving them priority. I hope that with my choice to become a psychologist, I will be able to offer that support.