May 23, 2024
By Autumn Ortiz
Staff Writer
For military brats like myself, growing up can be a very isolating experience. I often questioned if I was being selfish for wanting my dad, Omar Ortiz, to be home when I knew he had a greater responsibility than raising my older sister Raven and me.
In my early childhood, my dad was mostly stationed in military reserves around the United States, and despite being in the same country, he felt further away than ever.
My father’s main job title while he served in the Army was Military Police Staff Sergeant and Weapons expert. When I was about four years old, I began to wonder why he spent so little time at home, and when he was home, why he didn’t seem present, as if his mind was elsewhere. This scared me because I was very young, so I couldn’t understand the severity of the situation.
When I was old enough to understand why my father was this way, my mother told me that he had been in an accident before I was born, which turned our family upside down.
My father was in the first wave of soldiers sent to Iraq under the Enduring Freedom Act in October 2001 and was stationed there for a year. The final accident took place three months into his tour, when he and one of his men were driving and they hit an IED, which caused their truck to flip over, severely injuring both my father and the driver. This wasn’t the only time this happened. Previously, two of his Humvees were hit by an IED that injured seven of his men. When this occurred, my mother initially received few updates from the military.
Though this has been a challenging situation, we made it through as a family and supported each other every step of the way.
After my mom explained this to me, it finally made sense why we didn’t see my dad often. He was dealing with the repercussions of his injuries and the mental impact this had on him. Like most soldiers, my father was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and became a 100% disabled veteran.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs helps the families of those who served in the military by connecting families to medical professionals and creating a community.. However, it’s hard to help a person with PTSD because they feel alone and scared of having to live in the normal world after the trauma they faced while deployed.
Soldiers may not feel comfortable in their homes because they’ve spent so long in high-stress situations where they cannot let their guard down.
Though this has been a challenging situation, we made it through as a family and supported each other every step of the way.
The VA aids veterans’ families by having meetings and programs, so they can have shared experiences and emotional support.
The government also wanted to give back to these families, so in 2008, then-president George W. Bush signed the Post 9/11 GI Bill, which financially aids soldiers’ children by paying their college tuition. This bill applies to those who were active duty members in the military for at least 90 days after Sept. 10, 2001.
It sometimes feels odd telling people I will have education benefits that I did not work for. However, I know my father will be proud to see me put the money to use as I further my education, which he was not able to do when he was my age.
All he wanted to do was learn and go to college, but he didn’t have enough money and his grades weren’t good enough for a scholarship, so he joined the Army.
My father made major sacrifices to benefit his family, and now I want to follow in his footsteps by joining the Air Force. I know it will be a challenging career, but with the support of my family and the VA, I am confident I will live out my dreams to the fullest.
