Garfield High School alum Amanda Owens acknowledged that not a lot of people would have predicted that she would have a successful career in the military after graduation. The 2003 Garfield graduate returned to her alma matter and was honored as a guest speaker for a Veteran’s Day assembly on last Friday morning at Garfield High School.
“First off, it is very cool because Garfield has come so far,” Owens told The Weekly Villager. “I think it is important that everyone hears this. Right out of high school it is okay to not know your thing right away and it is okay to not have your solid plan, because you are 18, so joining the military allows you to find out what you really want and what you are good at.”
After serving 10 years on active duty, Owens has continued her work with the military, working as a civilian in the Department of Defense at the Pentagon.
According to Owens, serving in the armed forces was in her blood because of her family’s background. Both of her grandfathers, father, uncle and both cousins all served in the military and she has vivid memories growing up in a patriotic household.
“We learned to respect the flag early, fly the flag and instill a lot of American values and patriotism in us,” she said. “It was never lost on me the sacrifices that people make and it is not lost on me still, understanding what people have given to get the United States to where we are today.”
According to Owens, she did not start feeling the itch to enlist until she neared her graduation. It was shortly after 9/11 and army recruiters frequently came to Garrettsville and the impact of that infamous day in history still resonated with her.
She said that she realized that if something so catastrophic could happen so close to home, it could happen again anywhere at any time.
In an assembly at the school during third period, Owens talked about her experiences in high school and what led her to enlist.
She also noted the struggles she faced being a woman in the military and the logistical challenges she experienced, having to sleep in storage tents and water storage units when serving in combat zones.
“If you are going to send a woman in as an infantrymen, they need separate sleeping quarters for showers and separate showers when they are in training,” she said. “Obviously not in the field because you have your baby wipes, but logistically it takes a long time to integrate that and to gain the respect of the men; women can do everything that men can do.”
Throughout her time in active duty, Owens was stationed in Iraq, Qatar, Djibouti, South Korea and several posts in the United States.
When her tour of active duty ended, Owens was still motivated to continue her career in governmental policy. She said that while she never truly felt she belonged during high school, when she joined the military, she knew that she was right where she was supposed to be.
She took some online training courses and military electives during active duty and once she was discharged, she was assigned to the crisis team of the Army Operations Center in Arlington County, VA.
Owens said she took great pride in still being a part of military operations as a civil servant.
“Military people rotate their assignments every three to four years and civilians in the office are the continuity,” she noted. “This continuity is needed because we have the background and have the experience on this potential thing, and we typically have the personal relationships that last over time.”
During the assembly, Owens paid tribute to one of her teachers, shop teacher Chris Forgacs, and surprised him with an announcement that she and other 2003 graduates had partnered to purchase a brick from the United States Marine Corps Museum’s Warrior Walkway and dedicate it in his honor.
“Mr. Forgacs thank you what you have done for me and countless other students along the way,” she told him. “You have seen the best in everybody and it has shown.”
Owens fielded some questions from the audience and was asked what her most memorable experience was during her time in the service. She answered that it was when she was assigned to work in the funeral details’ unit.
“When you are part of a moment of helping someone say goodbye to their mother or father, you get to make sure that moment is flawless, so their memory is reflected in a pristine way,” she answered. “I take a lot of pride in that.”
