What They Don't Tell You About Enlisting

Teanna Gonsalves, United States Air Force

I joined the Air Force in 2016 after graduating high school. I made this decision with the dream I always had--to serve our country. I was the first person in my family to join the military, so the stuff you see in movies was the only knowledge I had of that lifestyle. My expectations were high and I knew that I wanted to make a career out of it, but quickly I learned what a difficult lifestyle it truly was.

What they don't tell you about enlisting is that there will be a lot of hard times. And a lot of battles you will face that no one can prepare you for. Due to work or being overseas, I missed every family event back home: weddings, birthdays, funerals, births, etc. I also witnessed multiple friends lose their battle with depression in the service. It is hard to stay positive when your environment is filled with so many difficult challenges and it seems like nothing will get better. However, knowing all of this now, I still wouldn't go back and change my decision to enlist. I got to travel the world and see things I would have never seen had it not been for joining the military. The friends that I met became my family and I have lifelong relationships with amazing people. I made the difficult decision to separate from the Air Force in 2022 to have a fresh start with a new challenge and build my own family and settle in one place. It’s important for people to know that there are going to be good and bad times whether they are joining the military or separating for a new start and to always try and stay positive. It always gets better.

Since joining IVC, I’m adjusting better to civilian life and taking classes at IVC. I plan to transfer soon, but I appreciate the opportunity to work in the VSC surrounded by others who know the life we’ve all lived.