I am a wife to a United States Marine Corps Veteran and a mom of two boys. I have always been connected to the military, as my paternal great-grandfather, two great-uncles, Uncle Earl, and a few cousins served in the United States military, both the Army and the Marine Corps. When I was a child, I would listen to stories from my great-grandfather, Athanase Couture, tell me stories of when he served in WWII. I grew up wanting to serve myself but was unable to do so. I met my husband in my freshman year of high school when he told me he wanted to join the USMC but was scared to ruin our relationship. I pushed him to go towards his dream, and I would be there the entire way. We married the year I graduated High School on his Christmas leave from schooling after basic. A week after we were married, he returned to duty while I stayed in our home state, working at a fast food restaurant. Upon his graduation from school, he was assigned to his first duty station, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. He and I packed a trailer with our few belongings to haul with his truck to his new duty station. I cried for sure leaving my family home to go on our new adventure as a military couple. We drove five days across the country from Maine to California stopping to sleep nightly. My favorite place on this trip was Parachute, Colorado from then on out, our cross-country travels always included a night in this stunning town. We lived in San Diego, CA for five years on and off due to his deployment. When I was pregnant with our first son, my husband had the opportunity to be deployed on an MEU aboard a Navy ship. When he deployed, our son was a week old, it was my birthday, and Mother's Day; my birthday is May twelfth. On this deployment, we rarely got to speak; I would mail packages, letters, and pictures. My husband was unable to be with our son or me for eight months. The heart-wrenching ache I felt every day since I watched him walk onto that ship and leave us behind did not leave me and still hasn't. When I think back on that day, I cry but also appreciate that he was able to come home to us. Upon his return home to us, we were finally a little family again, but he was hurt. On his ship, he injured his back, knee, and shoulder. He also saw one of his close friends die in a terrible accident. He told me in a letter but never spoke of it again, he still doesn't speak about it to this day. Even though I did not serve, I have seen the toll it takes on my husband, my great-uncle who sees me when he comes into my work at the Department of Veteran's Affairs for his appointments, and my cousin who was also in the USMC but was on the front line and now has severe PTSD due to his service. I want to impact Veterans in the same way they have impacted me with their service by continuing my career in the Department of Veteran's Affairs and helping them every day.