Proud to be a United States Veteran, my father served nine months with the 776th Maintenance Company in Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Storm. This experience was a traumatic part of my life that I will never forget. As a fifth grader, it was hard for me to understand why my daddy had to leave. I had a real problem dealing with this, and began bottling up my emotions, an vomiting every time I became nervous, upset, or worried. I had always been Daddy's little girl, so this was hard to deal with. He was gone from August of 1990 until May of 1991, and missed every holiday that year, including birthdays.

My most memorable and happiest memory of this time was when he returned hom. It was during the end of my year at school, and we were practicing our patriotic play, and three days before we performed, I was called to go with my mom to pick up my Dad. I will never forget the excitement I felt to see that plane land, making my family once again complete. I am truly grateful I have a two parent household and would not trade my family for the world.

Some effects of Desert Storm do still effect our family today. My dad suffers from Gulf Sickness Syndrome, with active symptoms such as, dry skin, memory loss, nervousness, swelling in the muscles and joints, and many others. I am very proud of my dad for serving our country, and feel that this experience helped to make me a stronger person. It also helped show me at an early age just how important my family really is to me, and I believe this has had a part in the person I am today.

AO Class of 1998