Walter Floyd Shugar<\/p>\n
Emily Shugar wrote about her ancestor, Walter Floyd Shugar.\u202f Born on July 5, 1919, in Reading, Pennsylvania, he grew up during the Great Depression. He got married at age 19 and started a family right away, so he enlisted as a private in the Pennsylvania National Guard to support them. He was then drafted into the Army during World War II, where he served in a supply chain role, which involved coordination, problem solving, and communication across units. After retiring from the military after more than 30 years of service, Shugar returned to Reading and transitioned back into civilian life, working as a security officer at Baldwin Hardware for several decades. <\/p>\n
Virginia Dornheggen<\/p>\n
An entry written by Sadiya Ali tells the story of Virginia Dornheggen. Born on Nov. 8, 1948, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, she became the first woman in her family to serve in the military. While in nursing school, she discovered the Army Student Nurse Program, which she joined after graduation. On Jan. 6, 1970, she was sworn in as a second lieutenant. Dornheggen worked as an ICU nurse at Walter Reed in Maryland for about nine months before getting orders to go to Vietnam on Nov. 20, 1970. According to Ali, the traumatic events Dornheggen experienced, including an ammunition dump explosion, left her struggling with night terrors and PTSD when she returned to civilian life. Today, she uses her experiences to educate others about the realities of war and the lasting impact it can have on mental health. <\/p>\n
A deeper appreciation<\/p>\n