Personal Narrative-Iraq War Veteran And Wounded Warrior

In my life I have faced some extremely trying experiences and, from them, learned some very valuable lessons. My father, SPC Theodore “TJ” Ingemanson, an Iraq War Veteran and Wounded Warrior, passed unexpectedly, from injuries he suffered during his deployment for Operation Iraqi Freedom. I was twelve years old. Two months after this devastating event, my mother was sent to prison for choices she made that impacted our lives in a negative way. Life, as I knew it, became a chaotic tailspin, changing rapidly and drastically. I moved in with my father’s aunt and uncle, as it is the home where he grew up, and they were the ones that my family trusted and knew they would provide a strong, stable, and loving home. Aunt Rose and Uncle Bob are the people that have

From the start, I did not feel like I “fit in”. I did not want to be around anyone. As my depression grew, my grades faltered, and I had very little interest in anything. After a series of academic failures and a period of loneliness throughout the remainder of my time in middle school, I finally told myself that this was my life and I had to take charge of it and start looking for the best things in my day to day activities. I began to think about my future and how my choices were going to shape my life as an adult. I realized that I wanted to succeed and not fall prey to circumstances and bad choices. My background, while adverse, provided me with the skills to nurture my abilities and make the best of difficult situations. I learned to push forward in times of upset or distress. Once I entered high school, I immediately hit the ground running and, for the first time, I made honor roll in my first term as a Freshman. At the end of my first year of high school, I earned no less than a B in all of my classes. This made me extremely proud of myself , considering my academic performance in middle school. I knew that I was on the right