Post by Stephanie R.D. Rotolo

One time, I found a stack of passports strapped to the back of a toddler in Ghazni, Afghanistan. One man, multiple fraudulent national identities, using his kid to hide his misdeeds despite the risk it would or could bring to his own child. Miles up the road from that compound, we would lose multiple U.S. SOF members to an IED and ambush as they were en route to help us because we were outside of the golden hour ring. It was a tough week. My VA exams were physically, mentally and logistically painful. I spent a lot of time explaining the nature of my service, particularly as a CST, and why a woman with a non-combat MOS would be in the situations I would be in. My favorite one was the Italian dentist asking why and how my teeth had been damaged…then having to explain SERE-C, SOF combatives and airborne ops via translator app. Blinks of horror from the staff as they wondered if the translation app was just going rogue. At the conclusion of my whole-body C&P Exam for the VA, the examiner paused and asked in what can only be described as a snarky tone: “Was it worth it?” Yes, yes it was. Thanks to the Special Operations Association of America for the work they are doing to move the Jax Act forward. #sof #military #veterans #army #goarmy #cst