VETERAN PROFILE Yolanda George, TISD

Current employer/leadership position: science teacher at Texas High School

How long: 6 years

Branch of military: Air Force When were you drafted or when did you enlist? 5/5/1983

Can you describe a funny moment from boot camp? We were loaded on a bus and taken to our barracks. Our belongings had been loaded on a truck behind us. Once there, there were all these drill sergeants yelling for us to get off the bus, and get our belongs off the truck. Apparently, we did not move fast enough, and they yelled for us to load the bags back on the truck and get back on the bus. There was a young lady in the group who stopped, stood with her hands on her hips and said, “You’ve got to be joking.” All the sergeants stopped, and looked at her. They asked her to repeat what she said, and of course she did. We were all in absolute shock. At the time, I didn’t think of this as funny, because we all paid the price for her insolence. But now,

I can laugh at this. The look on their faces was priceless, and there stood this tiny little person amid these tall imposing men, with her hands on her hips. She and I ended up in the same platoon, and we are still friends today. We laugh about this all the time.

What are some of the things you remember about adapting to military life? I adapted very well. I enjoyed the structure. I really enjoyed meeting different people from different cultures, people with different beliefs.

Where did you serve? Different places: Texas, Colorado, South Carolina

If you deployed overseas, where and when did you serve? Germany

What fun things did you and your friends do while on deployment? Travel with friends

When did you leave the military? 5/5/1989

When you were first discharged, what are some things about civilians that were difficult for you to deal with? It wasn’t hard to adjust, but I often wonder why people from different cultures, different beliefs can live and appreciate and respect each other in the military, but not in civilian life.

What are some things you miss about being in the service? What are some you are glad to have left behind? The people. Wake up for pt.

What led you to choose your current career? How has your military experience helped you

with your work? Working with kids. It has helped me to be able to work with different people to achieve a common goal. It made me appreciate people that are different from me, people from different backgrounds, people with different beliefs. Even though we are different, we can still respect each other, learn from each other, and succeed together.