After Leaving Military When Are You Considerd Civilian Again
Interview and Story past Tawanah Reeves-Ligon
Not everyone has been called to serve as a member of our Military machine, but state star, actress, tv host and philanthropist Kellie Pickler feels it'due south her duty to serve the called.
Past partnering with the USO (United Service Organizations), one of the nation's leading nonprofit charities dedicated to members of the military and their families, Pickler, alongside other celebrities, gets the hazard to give back to a customs that ways the world to her. "They have enabled me to exist a part of something that matters," she shared. "Working with the USO, it's actually all about keeping the families connected and keeping our servicemen and women connected with their loved ones.
Nosotros take a slice of habitation to them…when we do holiday tours, we take a professional athlete, a singer, comedian, actor, actress and just develop this evidence with them. We sign [autographs], laugh; nosotros take pictures. We have breakfast, tiffin and dinner. If they're stationed somewhere where their families are able to be with them, we take family twenty-four hour period. Nosotros become to break bread together and express mirth and share their stories…break up the monotony of what they exercise."
And Pickler, a North Carolina native, was a keen choice for this role because she is a wiz at putting on a prove. The now 35-year-old got her start in the industry in 2005 on the fifth season of American Idol, finishing in sixth place.
Her debut album sold over 900,000 copies, was certified gold and produced three top xx singles on the Billboard "Hot State Songs" charts. During her music career, Pickler has won or been nominated for numerous awards, such as the CMT Music Awards Breakthrough Video of the Yr, Top New Female Singer of the Year, Female person Video of the Year, Collaborative Video of the Year and Operation of The Yr. She'southward also won the prestigious Songwriter Award twice from the American Lodge of Composers, Authors, and Publishers.
Later, after the release of her fourth studio album, The Woman I Am, Pickler went on to win the sixteenth season of Dancing with the Stars, alongside professional dancer Derek Hough in 2013. She would also go on to star in two successful boob tube programs, I Love Killie Pickler, a reality show almost her life with hubby Kyle Jacobs, as well as Pickler & Ben, a daytime talk evidence she hosted for two years aslope influencer Ben Aaron.
Pickler has too starred in television movies for Hallmark, Christmas at Graceland, Nuptials at Graceland and The Mistletoe Underground. Nevertheless, for Pickler, these achievements are non the hallmark of her career or representative of her purpose. "…accolades, awards, that don't matter. People matter," Pickler said. "You lot never wake up after doing the correct thing and recollect, 'I wish I hadn't done the correct thing there.' Information technology's easy to be kind; it'due south easy to love your neighbor."
For Pickler, her real job is nearly what happens offstage, "I know that I was not put on this Earth to just be a state vocalist, performer and entertainer. That'due south merely my vehicle to go me through the door. I know what my calling is. I know that my purpose in life is to be a voice for the broken, to exist a sanctuary for people.
I'thou non perfect by no means. I know my heart. I know my integrity. And that's not for auction. I feel very blest to be in a position where I can employ my gifts and blessings…" As a USO Ambassador, Pickler is excited about taking the opportunity to requite back to those who she knows are prepared to give everything for our citizens and our country.
According to her, "It's imperative that they know (and that the families know) that nosotros accept their backs besides. It takes a very selfless person to do what they do." She is specially sensitive to the families of servicemembers, "The families serve. I'yard very close with many Gold Star Families and Aureate Star Wives. The USO is a community that's very, very much needed.
When someone gets that folded flag at their front door, that dreaded conversation, it's imperative that they take community around them, to dearest them, help them, exist there for their children…The USO has kept so many families connected, and even continued me with these families, in a style that I can take a relationship with them and let them know that they aren't lone."
(Photo by /The Washington Post via Getty Images)
The USO sponsors many programs with these goals in mind and works in over 250 locations. Their programs, predominately, fall into one of four categories: Unites, Delivers, Entertains or Transitions. Each category represents ane role of the mission to keep servicemembers in impact with the places, people and positivity they demand to keep going.
Programs include, but aren't limited to: the Bob Promise Legacy Program, which helps servicemembers read to their children near; USO Coffee Connections, which gathers armed forces spouses together at monthly gatherings in comfortable spaces where they tin can share and relate; USO Care Package Program, which delivers familiar snacks, toiletries and hygiene essentials to troops, predominately those overseas; and of course their many resources for those transitioning (or who accept transitioned) out of military machine service.
Participating in the promotion of these programs, every bit well as having the risk to meet and link with servicemembers and their families, has been a dream for Pickler.
Though she and her firsthand family did not come from a war machine background, she still feels equally though she can serve, love on and chronicle to these families in her ain way.
"We all take then much more in common than nosotros realize," she said. "I do feel that in my line of piece of work, the music business is all about putting truth in the form of a vocal. I believe that there'southward several songs of mine that have been autobiographical where I was able to put a pinprick of my life into a vocal. But it's helped people heal. I do believe in sharing parts of my story…" Pickler continued, proverb that her fourth dimension, her story and her music have "brought people together and helped people observe closure in whatsoever it is that they're going through." And that'southward where the fulfillment comes from for her.
"There are countless things that the USO has washed [for our servicemembers], and, once more, information technology's been just very life changing for me to exist a part of the USO family. I feel that'southward the way that I can serve those who serve."
Source: https://usveteransmagazine.com/2017/02/common-challenges-during-readjustment-to-civilian-life/
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