Interviewed by:

Clare Yeaw and Elise Burgess

"Know that it's gonna change your life completely and it's gonna make you a completely
different person, but in a positive way."
~ Robin Callaghan (16:30)

Robin Callaghan's Story:

When Robin Callaghan first swore in to the National Guard while she was still in high school, she never expected that only four years later she would be deployed and serve overseas for nine months. She had always had an interest in military action, and when a recruiter at her high school's military fair acknowledged her passion for defending our country, she swore in a week later. Immediately after she graduated high school, she went to South Carolina for boot camp training. After the terrorist attacks of September 11th, Callaghan and many more soldiers in the National Guard were unexpectedly deployed overseas to various military locations.

At the young age of 21, she was deployed, it being her first time away from home. Her specific job was a truck driver, while her whole unit was made up of engineers, responsible for building necessities and operating heavy equipment such as front-running bucket loaders, bulldozers, graters, and scrapers. In addition to the fact that the National Guard was in uncharted territory being away from the U.S, Callaghan was one of the first women to be enlisted in her unit, enlisting merely a year after the very first. Life in Kuwait was much different than life in the U.S, with hot temperatures and a sizable difference in the rights of women. Callaghan developed strong relationships as she was overseas, forming friendships that she still upholds to this day.

When she returned home, it was difficult to go back to life as it was before, as she was absent for nine months. However, people were extremely kind to her, and celebrated her service with a welcome home breakfast, asking her to speak, and making her and another man in her unit to be the grand marshal in the 4th of July parade. Callaghan also received an invitation to join the VFW, or Veterans of Foreign Wars, in which she was part of a group with other veterans that had been deployed overseas. Looking back, she says it was the best decision she's ever made in her life, and that her military experience helped her to mature into the person she is today. She even admits that part of her wishes she had "stayed in," or reenlist to be in her unit again. Overall, Callaghan has a very positive view on her military experience, and would tell anyone considering to enlist to try something they've never done before, or something crazy, so they have fun with it.