Happy Veterans Day 11/11/20

I think of every Veterans day as a time to relive the memories I have had in the U.S Navy. I love to reflect on what I learned, the family I made and the memories that I will always cherish. There were times where I wanted to give up and just get of the Navy, but I pushed through them and became the woman I am today. I am thankful for everyone I have met on this journey so far and I can’t wait to see what’s still in store for me. Seven years down, many more to go! Thank you to all my brothers and sisters who I have had the honor of serving with.

Love ya’ll,

HM3 (SW) Kat

My home for 5 years.

A good Navy is not a provocation to war. It is the surest guaranty of peace.

President Theodore Roosevelt

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April 15th 2020

“All who have accomplished great things have had a great aim, have fixed their gaze on a goal which was high, one which sometimes seemed impossible.”

Orison Swett Marden

I finally have done it! I have completed Hospital Corpsman school! I passed all my tests and labs and have finally done it! Graduation Monday. ❤️

April 6th 2020

Masks are Required for Military

Well as of today its official. Masks are required to be worn if we can not social distance. Here at the school house it’s a little difficult because there are hundreds of military personnel all around us. Today they gave us temporary masks and have told us to make our own. So…my creativeness will have to come out when I try and figure out how to make a mask from a shirt. I do have the Navadmin that shows what entails a mask. I also found a helpful video and some guidelines on how to make one. Stay safe everyone! Remember to social distance and keep yourself and your loved ones safe and healthy!

“A pandemic will lead to permanent social, economic, and cultural changes. The key is to create good from a bad situation.”

― Wayne Gerard Trotman

How to Combat Stress

Stress comes in many ways, shapes and forms. No one is the same, and that includes how we deal and how we handle stress. You may question if stress is a daily part of your life. Stress can appear in a multitude of ways. A handful of things to look out for are:

  • Rapid weight gain/ weight loss
  • Exhaustion/lethargy
  • Excessive eating/ not eating at all
  • Working out but with no satisfaction after
  • Anxiousness/ irritability
  • Find more signs here.

Sometimes you may ask yourself how can I start dealing with this? How do I figure out how to combat this? Our beautiful souls are all different. This is why we are unique as people, and different things help each one of us. Always though, if life feels like its getting too much for you to handle on your own. You should seek professional help and advice. Having someone you don’t personally know to talk to can sometimes help more than you think.

For myself stress is constantly in my life. However, I can usually thrive off of “chaotic stress.” Working in the EMS field can be hectic everyday but having a passion for it can help fuel your efforts for it. I use this fuel to the best of my ability and push myself more so I can get the best outcome in a situation. I am also currently in school to become a Navy Hospital Corpsman which is another level of a chaotic environment. From working on ships, to hospitals and being in combat zones, the stress will never stop. For some reason though I thrive working in chaos. Doing something to push myself every day. I know it sounds crazy, but I love it and honestly wouldn’t change it.

Update: My Stress in School

Navy Corpsman school like all schools is …wait for it…stressful! I knew, who knew? Sometimes I think it has been more stressful than a deployment or working in the EMS field. Being thrown into this new boot (newbie) environment was a shock to my system, all the way down to my core. Being a fleet returnee (someone who has prior service in the military), I had to follow the same rules as everyone fresh from boot camp. Thank goodness I wasn’t alone in this process though. There are other fleet returnees here too. We became each others sounding boards to help us make it through school. Being 26 years old and treated like an 18 year old is so hard to wrap your head, but we had to do it to a point. We also were put in charge of our class and have to make sure they don’t get in trouble and show up to everywhere they are supposed to be. Talk about being stressed. There have definitely been moments when I wanted to have a meltdown and just leave and go back home, but I didn’t. I didn’t allow this type of stress to get to me and here were some of the things I did to cope:

  • Worked out at the gym with my roomie. Did yoga and meditated.
  • Wrote in my journal about my emotions and what made me upset. Happy or sad, I basically recorded my day.
  • I read some books that I brought from home while sipping Yogi Stress Relief Tea.
  • Listened to music that would calm me down and allowed me to find my zen again.
  • Talked and talked AND talked to my family and friends that understood what was going on.
  • Shopping therapy! I have no shame, sometimes it helps when you can wear something you feel good in. Like comfy pajamas.
  • Friday movie nights, with popcorn and snacks included.

I know this seems like a random list of things, but for me it isn’t. Its what helped me when I started bottling up the stress. I’m still learning and trying out different things to help de-stress and get back to feeling light and airy. It may take trying different techniques, and different things to see what really helps and speaks to you. Don’t allow stress to win and take hold of your life. You can get through anything if you try. We are all stronger than we think.

“Appreciate yourself, and honor your soul.”

-Yogi Tea

Shout out to my family and friends who deal with me when I am a crazy stress ball. Love you ❤

January 16th 2020

“An infantryman’s job is to deliver his enemies into the waiting hands of Death. It is Doc’s job to protect his brothers from Death, to knock him aside and say, “Not today.”

– Adam Fenner

October 13th 2019

Happy 244th Birthday Navy!

“It is the function of the Navy to carry the war to the enemy so that it is not fought on U.S. soil.”

– Chester W. Nimitz

Getting Back That Sea bag

Why did I decide to go back to the Navy?

Making the decision to join the Navy again after I got off of active duty was no brainer for me deep down…I wanted to. Here’s a little back story though so you guys aren’t too lost yet. I joined the Navy back in 2013 as an excited 19 year old kid that wanted some more adventure in her life. Fast forward to June of 2018. I was a DC3 who was well rounded. I was a 24 year old who THOUGHT that what I wanted had NOTHING to do with the Navy anymore. I ended up being so wrong. So, I decided to just get out and receive my Honorable Discharge and go to the IRR (inactive-ready-reserve). I never thought that within less than a year I would be back in the Navy as a reservist, but here I am. Truth is I missed it. I missed the boat life ( its odd trust me), I missed the camaraderie, the tasks that I was able to deal with and learn about. Most importantly I missed the people, the little family I made. That’s why I decided to join the Navy Reserves again. I wanted that military, patriotic, do or die, balls to the wall teamwork and family feel. So here I am based out of Alameda, CA now technically an HM3 waiting to go to a new tech school next January. I couldn’t be more excited and happier that I made this decision. I’m ready for another adventure in my book.

Was It Hard Joining The Reserves?

A lot of veterans, especially when they get out of active duty decide to just say they’re finished with the military once and for all….Truth is, a majority of us decide to come back because we miss that feeling. It’s almost like having an empty void in your soul. I thought joining the reserves was going to be difficult. It wasn’t quite easy but it definitely was manageable. Prior service members have to go to a recruiter that deals with them being active before. They’re called Prior Service Recruiters, pretty simple right? Kind of, the hard part is finding one. In my area there were only 2! Can you believe that? There was one located here in the Alameda NOSQ that I worked with and then there is also one in the Concord Armed Forces office. My recruiter made the process very easy, very straightforward. The only catch that I had was that I had to change my rate (job). It was kind of bittersweet for me because I loved being a DC (damage controlman- shipboard firefighter), I loved almost everything about it. However, the rate that was open for me was HM ( corpsman- medic), and that’s what I initially wanted when I joined the Navy. Switching to HM was a little sad but it is also really beneficial to me personally because of what I do in my civilian life as well. I have been in the Reserves since February of 2019. I love it, of course there is the normal about of BS I deal with, but I’m back in the uniform and learning new things that I love. I feel like the void is filled in again and I knew deep down this is what I want. I’m still learning the ropes of the reserves because it is VERY different than active duty.

Being a reservist is a great opportunity if you have a civilian career, but still want to do something militaristic in your life or fill an empty void. I’m going on 6 years and I can’t wait to see where I will travel to next or what I will learn next. If anyone has any questions please feel free to leave me a message! I will definitely have more posts that I will be adding!

“On the battlefield, the military pledges to leave no soldier behind. As a nation, let it be our pledge that when they return home, we leave no veteran behind.”

– Dan Lipinski