I am a veteran

  • Published
  • By Maj. Dani Johnson
  • Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs
MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. (AFPN) --  “I am a veteran.” Four words that still seem so strange for me to say.

In my mind, veterans have always been the men in their American Legion or Veterans of Foreign Wars caps who served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. It hasn’t been the airman or officer you see playing with a young child in the park or have over to your house for a barbeque.

In September I returned to Ramstein Air Base, Germany, from a five-month deployment to Baghdad, Iraq, and Camp Doha, Kuwait, as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. I didn’t think much about the term “veteran” as I quickly outprocessed there and headed here for my new assignment.

Now that I’m in my new office, I’ve had time to reflect on the past year and what being a veteran means.

During the time I was deployed, I was shot at and found out that if I had to I could defend myself and was lucky I didn’t have to. I worked longer hours and was more fatigued than I ever thought I could be and still accomplish the mission.

One of my most memorable experiences was when Saddam’s sons were killed July 22. I was the public affairs operations and plans chief in the joint operations center for Headquarters Coalition Joint Task Force-Seven. Upon notification of the possible deaths, I was in charge of developing and coordinating all the guidance and preparation for the upcoming press conferences.

I will always have in my memory the image of me at a laptop with five Army colonels and an Army brigadier general hanging over my shoulders “helping” me write the commanding general’s opening statement. Within 24 hours, we held two live international press conferences. It was a team effort all around. It took everyone, across all specialties, in two operations centers to prepare the general for every possible question and to inform him of the details of the operation.

Since I was on the coalition headquarters staff, I also learned much about our sister services and coalition partners. I learned that no matter what pattern is on our uniforms or the accent in our English, we were all brothers and sisters in arms together for a common cause--to rebuild Iraq, bottom line.

Not once during that time or any other time during the deployment did I think, “When I leave here, I will be a combat veteran.” I did what I had to do with the resources I had available and left knowing that I gave everything I had and made a difference.

I’m not the only veteran here or at other bases. A veteran is an airman guarding the flightline, a captain flying the B-52H Stratofortress and an NCO working on the communication lines in the missile field. It includes many others across the base and the Air Force who are too numerous to mention here, who served recently in operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.

Look closer at that senior NCO and lieutenant colonel; they are probably veterans of operations Allied Force and Desert Storm. Some here might even be veterans from the Vietnam War. Don’t forget our civilians either. Many of them are prior military, and served during times of conflict.

All of us have a reason to thank those who came before us. But in that gratitude, don’t forget to thank the ones standing next to you this Veteran’s Day.

Because I am a veteran.