We are all citizen ambassadors, and I know that is especially true with members of the military as we work with our partners and allies in training, diplomacy, and on the battlefield. There are many ideals that America has come to represent around the world: freedom, democracy, strength in diversity, justice, prosperity, and individuality, among others. For me, it is important not only as a veteran, but as a citizen of this country, to continue to speak up for what is right. They always believe in me, and because of them and the experiences I've had, I have more confidence in myself and my abilities to be the change I want to see. "Service Before Self" has become a leading principle in my life, and just as I thought I could stop pretending to like the Kool-Aid, it turns out I’ve come to enjoy drinking it! LOL!Īs a veteran, what sort of responsibility do you feel to speak up on issues that relate to American Ideals? They continue to push me, advocate for me, and open their networks to me as I move closer to my goals and aspire to bigger things. My friends and leaders from my time in service remain some of my key confidants, mentors, and biggest sources of encouragement. The Air Force made me who I am today without me realizing it at first. I discovered what kind of leader I do and don't want to be. I learned how to best utilize networking opportunities, how to be responsible, keep focused, and about goal setting and planning. I learned to embrace difficult situations and carry on, how to cope with loss, separation, and failure, as well as how to humbly celebrate success. I really don't think it could be overstated how much impact the Air Force and the people I met during my service have had on my life. How did your service shape the person you are today? I deployed twice, once to Afghanistan and once to Djibouti and Iraq, before completing my enlistment in June 2015. I promptly returned to college at The Ohio State University to major in Anthropology and Arabic, and minor in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and Middle Eastern Studies. After "Fundies" I went onto the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, CA where I spent approximately two years learning the Iraqi dialect of Arabic.Īlthough I did not officially become a linguist, I remained in Airborne Intelligence as a 1A8X2 - Airborne ISR Operator, and was later stationed at Hurlburt Field as a member of the 25th Intelligence Squadron. I chose the Air Force (the BEST Force, though some feel that's up for debate - I disagree, haha!) in June 2009 to be an Airborne Cryptologic Linguist (1A8X1) and after Basic Training, I was sent to follow on training for Aircrew Fundamentals. Growing up, there was a short blip of about 20 minutes in high school where I thought it would be a fun idea to join the military, but I quickly put it out of my head in favor of a traditional college experience.įast forward several years and no degree later, I found myself living a very different life than I had expected and was unsure of the direction I wanted to go in my life. Knowing I was treading water and had no solid options in front of me for growth, I decided to join the military after all. I joined for a multitude of reasons, but ultimately it was an opportunity to change my life, become self-sufficient, and serve something bigger than myself while I was working toward my goal of returning to college. Air Force veteran, college student, and advocate. Today, we profiled Gretchen Klingler, a Ohio-based U.S. Our Leader Spotlights offer a glimpse into our diverse leadership: veterans who are continuing to serve their country and community in creative ways.
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