Thank You for Your Service: My Promise to All Veterans

On November 11th each year, we celebrate our veterans. I, too, am a veteran.

We each agreed to serve this country in a time of war or peace. We sacrificed time with family and friends. We moved far away from home and relocated often. We never dreamed we would do many of the things we did when we made the decision to join the military.

The History of Veterans' Day

Wikipedia.com tells us this about its history: "In 1919 U.S. President Woodrow Wilson was the first to proclaim an Armistice Day, though it wasn't until 1938 that an Act was approved making the 11th of November a legal holiday, "a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as 'Armistice Day'. It was in 1953 that a Kansas shoe store owner, Al King, had an idea to extend that celebration to all veterans, not just having served in World War I, and he went on a mission to turn it into an 'All' Veterans Day, enlisting the help of his city's Chamber of Commerce and U.S. Rep. Ed Rees, also from King's hometown. In 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower signed into law a bill to change the holiday to include all veterans, and later that year Congress amended the act to be called Veterans Day."

How My Story Began

I first joined the U.S. Air Force on August 23, 1973, just 13 days after my 18th birthday. I told my recruiter that I wanted to sign the commitment then to serve 20 years. I wanted to see the world and to serve my country.

I was the eldest child of five, my siblings ranging from 14 to 4 years of age back then. I left home and all of them in order to spread my wings. Doing so came at the very dear sacrifice of not being able to see them as they grew up. Nor did I have as close a relationship in future years, as I was unable to share in the joys and sorrows that any family faces. I missed out on birthdays, graduations, weddings and their children's births. They, too, missed out on mine. Nor was I able to be there when they needed strength.

Facing Reality

It was not very popular to have made a decision to join the military in those days. Our military was still in Vietnam at that time, though we were nearing the end and in the process of drastically reducing our troop support.

I was young and naive, and was oblivious to what many others thought about the military and our country. I been taught by family and parochial school teachers that we "owe our country," rather than our country owing us. I proudly wore my uniform out in public only to be spat upon and called a "war whore."

Being a female in the military was not very popular with many of the seasoned male veterans either. If we could not carry heavy gear by ourselves, we "shouldn't be allowed in the military." However, if that same man could not pick it up, another man would take the other side and, in a spirit of cooperation, move it together. And of course, there were major issues of sexual harassment with which to contend.

If we weren't "girly" enough, we were accused of being lesbian. If we were too feminine, we were considered easy targets for sexual favors, and coercion. Many women were "raped" physically, mentally, and emotionally. For those who reported it and expected these wrongs to be righted, they were often blamed for it, accused of seduction and trying to ruin a supervisor's life and career. As it was swept under the rug, the same supervisor would write a scathing performance report, ensuring that promotion would be difficult to achieve.

Women were not allowed to serve in combat, and were denied assignment to many duty stations. We were not afforded the same opportunities in job choices in those days. Those of us who were more vocal about wanting equality in the ranks were seen as feminist radicals. When we became pregnant, even though married, we were required to request a waiver to stay in service.

In 1975, I was expecting the birth of my daughter. My wanting to stay in was met with a lot of argument from her father, so I left the Air Force in 1975.

A Change of Uniform

In 1976, I joined the U.S. Naval Reserve and six months later I jumped through many hoops to enlist in the regular Navy. Though my rose-colored glasses had been shattered a couple of years earlier, I was so very proud to be back in uniform. Many of the challenges I faced in the Navy were similar to those which I faced in the Air Force, but I was SO much older and wiser at the ripe, old age of 21!

I worked with and for many people whose names you might recognize today. I held several jobs that I might never had pursued as a civilian. I was the first female USAF Air Traffic Controller to be assigned to Bergstrom AFB in Austin, Texas. In the Navy, I served as an Air Traffic Controller, Radioman, and Musician. I was tasked with an assortment of collateral duties--Public Affairs, Operations, Administration, and more--which provided me solid skills to manage resources, lead people, and take on projects that my civilian counterparts may never see.

I provided support and assistance, and performed for, high-ranking military and political officials, heads-of-states, and foreign dignitaries, including the late Pope John Paul II on his visit to the United States. I proudly sang our National Anthem a capella at various military functions, as well as at Major League Baseball and National Hockey League games. I was fortunate enough to be able to perform with a variety of musical artists and groups to bring smiles to audiences everywhere. I had the opportunity to become the first NON-instrumentalist to learn to play and perform on steel drums with the Navy Steel Drum Band touring throughout the United States.

I was honored to be awarded 1988 Sailor of the Year for the largest U.S. Naval Training Center in the Navy. And until November 1989, I wore the Navy uniform proudly, serving a combined total time in the military of nearly 15 years.

Fighting a Different War

Because the times are different and we live in a much different world today, many of my experiences were very different than those of the military veteran today--I did not fight in any military conflict. I was not wounded in any battle. I have never fired a weapon.

In the 1970s, military veterans fought a different kind of war. We fought for equality in job opportunities and for a chance at leadership. And we each fought against a post-Vietnam-era public disdain for those of us wearing a military uniform. And I never planned on leaving the military. It was in my heart to spend 20 years or more to full retirement with pay. Instead, circumstances were such that I left after a 15 year career. Several years after I left the service, I received a disability rating from the Veterans' Administration, along with a lifelong compensation. I am a lifetime member of the Disabled American Veterans, and also belong to a local post of the American Legion.

Public Opinion

Thankfully, public opinion has changed toward our servicemen and women serving today. Whether it be for 2 years or for 32 years, I am pleased when I hear folks look to our veterans and say, "Thank you for serving."

However, I am told by so many veterans who have served 8, 10, 12 years or more, but not a 20-year retirement, that they are met with something quite different. They hear "Gee! You couldn't stick it out for 5 more years?" as if it somehow negated their commitment or service.

Personally, I have had people suggest that I "wasn't a real veteran," not having spent a full 20 years as my career. I have also been told I am not deserving of a disabled veteran status because "It's not like you went to war and got shot."

The Commitment

The challenges faced during the years I was in the military are certainly quite different than those faced by our servicemen and women today. Though we were not in the foxholes in a war zone, it was not easy serving in a peacetime military in the 1970s and 80s. We fought our own battles by going through the changes that our country, our government, our culture, and the world were facing in those days.

I served because I believe in my heart and soul that the freedoms for which we stand were important enough for me to have sacrificed a part of myself in order to have protected those freedoms for all who enjoy those freedoms. I even did it for those who did not share my beliefs, many of them living with the residual effects of our country's involvement in Vietnam. It did not matter to me that it was an uphill battle to make a difference in this world--as a woman, as a military member, or as a citizen.

But regardless of the challenges and conflicts faced, each of us raised a hand to take the oath of enlistment to the U.S. military, and for each reenlistment. Five times I raised my own hand and proudly stated:

"I, Coral Levang, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to do the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God."

My Promise

I would do it again...if given the chance. Peacetime, wartime...20 days, 20 months or 20 years.

I would do it again for my siblings and their children, for my children and grandchildren, for my parents, my aunts and uncles, and for my cousins. I would do it again for my friends and neighbors, and for any and all of our citizens who enjoy the freedoms we share as a nation.

If needed, I would fight until my dying breath to defend each of you.

No matter who may stand in criticism of what those of us in uniform past or present have done or the amount of time that we may have spent doing it, I will always support and defend this country and my fellow veterans ...however, whenever, and wherever I can. I salute all of you.

And from the bottom of my heart, I thank you for your service.