Dear Sister Diary,

9/11 happened my senior year of college. I was in an Army ROTC program and commissioned as a second lieutenant in the medical service corps in May 2002, and a year later, I was in Iraq. October 3, 2003 was the worst day of my life. It was a typical day for me in Iraq by that point, leading convoys in and around Baghdad. We had a forced stop at an intersection, an improvised explosive device (IED) went off, hitting the driver in my vehicle, and an Iraqi woman on the other side of the road. The blast knocked me off my feet in an instant. My ears were ringing and even though I called in the incident from my radio, I could not hear the response, just noise on the other side of that radio. I ran and grabbed a medic bag I kept in my Humvee. My driver was being treated. I went to the Iraqi woman and found shrapnel in her pregnant belly. I got them both back to the base we just left for medical care. When we regrouped to leave again, another IED detonated, this time only a minor injury we could drive through. The next day, I got ready to do convoys again, and found a blood-stained, white hijab in the back of my Humvee. I cried privately, wiped away my tears, and went to start the task all over again, with more trepidation. 

I got out of the Army, went to law school, and now am a partner at the law firm I’ve been part of for the past ten years. Why am I sharing this with you, Sisters? To remind you that success has nothing to do with perfection. It’s messy, hard, emotionally taxing work. When you look at a person (or virtually on the MSI platform) remember that every Sister has gone through something that changed them. We are stronger together, sharing our triumphs and also our saddest stories.

Shane

One of the most important parts of a community, a sisterhood, and a strong and unbreakable friendship is the mutual exchange of stories and experiences. There are many experiences that are unique to who women Veterans are and what they have endured and survived.

The Military Sisterhood Initiative's goal is to build a community that fights together, laughs together, cries together, and heals together; therefore, we have taken the initiative to tell the stories of women Veterans through our Sister Diaries. 

This is an open call for all of our members, who feel comfortable to open their hearts, to email us stories about their life. If you’re interested to learn more about how to submit a story or to join MSI please visit www.militarysisterhoodinitiative.org.