VETERAN PROFILE Summer Freeman, PGISD
Current employer/leadership position: third-grade lead teacher at Pleasant Grove ISD How long: 2 years
Branch of military: U.S. Marine Corps
When were you drafted or when did you enlist? I enlisted in 2012.
Can you describe a funny moment from boot camp? A drill instructor was trying to hurt my feelings, and got about an inch away from my face and told me I looked like a hot dog. I had to try so hard not to laugh at the time. What are some of the things you remember about adapting to military life?
It is very difficult to give away total control of your life. Obviously in boot camp, you cannot do anything without permission. You can’t go to the bathroom without permission, you can’t talk without permission, and you can’t move you body without permission most times. After boot camp and during additional training, we were not allowed to walk across the street or go anywhere by ourselves. We had to have a buddy everywhere we went. There are very specific rules for every single thing you do while in the military from how you greet different ranks of service members to how you make your bed and how you fix your hair. It’s difficult giving up all autonomy.
Where did you serve? I had training in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia. I was then stationed in Twenty Nine
Palms, California. If you deployed overseas, where and when did you serve? I did not deploy, but I am incredibly thankful for those that have, and give them all of my respect.
When did you leave the military? 2014 When you were first discharged, what are some things about civilians that were difficult for you to deal with?
It was difficult to go from an extremely structured environment where everyone was required to follow very strict rules to “normal life” where the standards are not the same. I still, to this day, find myself expecting others to always do what is expected of them, and hold myself to this standard as well.
What are some things you miss about being in the service? What are some you are glad to have left behind? You form a tight bond with other Marines. You go through very difficult training and work together, experience tragic losses together, and learn to always have each others’ backs. You have to do a lot of things you don’t want to do, but you get through it together. I miss the camaraderie and being surrounded by Marines that feel like family and have my back no matter what. I am glad I now have more freedom and control over my life, which has allowed me to build a family and have two beautiful children without fear of being told I have to pick up everything and move across the country, or deploy and leave my family behind for that matter. Being in the military is mentally, physically, and emotionally challenging on many levels, and no one can fully understand it until they go through it themselves. I commend our currently military members, especially those that are active parents, who have to sacrifice so much every single day, and our veterans who have also done this selflessly. Being in the military is an unimaginable sacrifice in many aspects of life.
What led you to choose your current career? How has your military experience helped you with your work? I have always loved serving others and giving my all. This is a reason I joined the military, and one of the reasons I became a teacher as well. I believe being a teacher is one of the most important jobs in our world. Our children are our future, and we need honorable, respectable, hardworking people teaching them and influencing them, and I want to be one of those people. My military experience helped me develop leadership qualities and grow as a leader. I strive to be a leader and supporter for my students as well as my peers daily.