Warriors of Camp Southern Ground

RANDI CRUZ

Randi is a U.S. Navy veteran and Warrior PATHH alum from South Carolina. This is her story.

I grew up in Jackson, SC. I served in the U.S. Navy for six years as a translator. I was also the first woman to serve on a boarding team aboard the USS Monterey.

Transition out of the military was awful. I was forcibly administratively separated during my husband’s second Iraq deployment. They thought I was using my child to avoid deployment though I had just happily and successfully deployed and fought separation by requesting temporary shore duty until I could get a care plan. I was sent out with a DD214 which claimed I had never deployed, had no sea service time, and no awards. Because of this, I was ineligible for VA care, any grants/programs reserved for war veterans, diagnosis, access to counseling, and disability.

Ten years after my exit from the military my congressman reissued the DD215 to accurately reflect my war time service. I was finally eligible for emergency medical care and PRSD diagnosis, counseling, and disability benefits. It took me 17 years after my exit from the military to get 100% disability. This was the most miserable, long-term experience of my life. All because I was falsely accused of avoiding deployment.

Before PATHH, I found comfort in having PTSD. My war stories were all I felt like I had left, and I was deeply proud of my service. I thought being a traumatized service member helped me prove that what I lived through actually happened and was significant.

Through PATHH, I realized that I was allowed to struggle well. I also learned that all those experiences are in my past. I have so much more to look forward to now. PATHH caused me to stop and consider what I’d lived through, to acknowledge it, respect it, and put it down. Everyone is on their own journey and has burdens they can carry on their own. We’re all interconnected with others, and it’s okay to allow others to help us with our burdens at times, too.

My old story involved a person deeply affected by and negatively impacted by wartime service. My new story is of a strong warrior, made better and more unique by experiences that cause me to appreciate life today and look forward to the future.