Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Serve.
How To Survive Basic Training as an Army Significant Other
The day you’ve been dreading is coming, or maybe it’s already here. Your recruit is leaving home to start his new life as a member of the U.S. Armed Forces. Whether you’re married, engaged, or in a steady relationship, these tips will help these next two or three months go by a little bit easier.
By Lindsey Allen8 years ago in Serve
US Veterans
We all celebrate the Fourth of July, Veteran's Day, even Memorial Day. We like to say thank you to a gentleman or woman we see on the street displaying veteran status, or to express our appreciation to the veterans that we know personally. But many do not realize the staggering number of veterans who are homeless, or who are struggling with mental illness, substance abuse, or chronic unemployment. These men and women were willing to sacrifice their lives so that we could continue to enjoy the freedom to tweet about hating Donald Trump, or simply vote in an open election. Little do we know what often happens to them if they are fortunate enough to return home.
By Kira Marie8 years ago in Serve
To the College Girl Dating a Military Man
We Marine Corps girlfriends have been lying to you. We tell you that while our recruit is in boot camp it gets easier. That’s not true. It never gets easier. You learn how to cope with how you are feeling, but it does not get easier.
By Hannah Beaton8 years ago in Serve
I'm Sorry Baby
I put on my pants, I put on my shirt, I put on my jacket, and laced up my boots. I look into the corner of the room to see you holding our daughter with tears in your eyes. I pick up my bag and go to give my girls a kiss and say goodbye. You put your head down in sorrow not knowing if you'll ever see me again. Not knowing if that's the last kiss or the last goodbye. I signed up when I was young I didn't think nothing about it. I was told free school, nothing about war. As I go on my first mission, my blood starts pumping, I don't know what to expect. My unit and I hop on the plane and touch down at our destination. We all get set up and call it a night and get ready for action the next morning. As the night goes by all I can think about is my girls. As the sun comes up we get ready to go out on our mission. We load up the Hummv with all our gear. As we are driving down this dirt road, we all hear gun shoots. As I look around to see where the shots are coming from we hear a loud noise. We look forward to see the head hummv blown to pieces. I start to panic, I wasn't prepared for this. The driver started to panic, we were all new. We all thought we are just privates trying to make it home. We start to return fire as the driver tries to get us out of there. Then it all went dark. The last thing I could remember was hearing a loud noise. I woke up in the hospital with a nurse in the room. She walked up to me and told me not to panic. I called out the names of my battles and no reply. I asked the nurse who else survived. No reply, I just stopped and yelled it wasn't fair. What happened? What did they do? The nurse looked at me and with the softest voice told me that the hummv I was in got blown up. No one else survived. It was like the world had just stopped. The doctor walked into the room and looked me in the eye and said, "You won't survive so get ready to say your goodbyes."
By Jakayla Gilbert8 years ago in Serve
20 Per Day
The other day I asked in a Veteran's group on Facebook, "Why do you think so many vets suffer from depression? Even those that did not deploy?" and the response I got was overwhelming.After reading every single comment that was made, I really learned a lot from my fellow Veterans and let me tell you, just a glimpse into their life made me feel like I am not alone. But it also made me feel extremely sad that there are so many of us out there who suffer from this sadness.One person said, "Because you go from being surrounded by and with your best friends 24/7/365 enduring some of the toughest shit imaginable to being thrown out alone into this bullshit world. You miss it. Humans are tribal by nature and when we are in platoon sized groups we are in our element. When you get torn away from that, you suffer."Another commented, "Because you were once a part of a team who valued each other more than themselves, an altruistic group. The depression comes when you realize that you may not ever experience that again."These are both incredibly true. Although I have some amazing friends that I love and hold dear to me, no friendship will ever be like one you had when you were in the military. It is a truly, and completely different lifestyle. A different mentality. And different family. Yeah we might not get along with each other, but we all went through the same shit. It is similar to a blood bond I guess. There are no words to describe the bond you have with people when you are in the military to someone who is not.Some other comments that really spoke to me were, "In my experience working with my fellow vets, I have found that a majority become depressed when they lose that sense of purpose or belonging that they had while serving in the military. We go from being a part of something, having a sense of importance, to being a nobody in the civilian world. Often with no idea of where to go or what to do with ourselves. So we drink, we self medicate, we isolate, and we ultimately tear our selves apart from the inside out.""We leave a life of structure, purpose, and brotherhood and find ourselves in a civilian world filled with chaos, deadend jobs and apathetic people.
By Ashley Bone8 years ago in Serve
Best Military Comedies of All Time
Military life is something that you have to see in order to fully understand, and in many cases, people assume it's all drama and tears. Anyone who's dealt with the military can tell you that most of the time, this is true—but not always.
By Peter Dill8 years ago in Serve
Best Three
As the plane slammed down on the tarmac in Albuquerque, I came to the swift realization there would be a significant shift in my existence. I was in the largest “metropolis” in New Mexico and the sense of a hustling and bustling city was absent. It was beautifully desolate outside of the airport. I took a long pull of my cigarette as I became enamored with constant pinkish hue the horizon had from crimson clay dirt. I hadn’t seen these colors in Japan, my home for the last six years. “My home country is foreign,” is all I thought as solitude and doubt tore at my soul.
By Kevin Moses8 years ago in Serve
