My name is Michael Lee Womack and I served in the United States Army from the 30th of June 2005 to the 27 of May 2014.

When I first joined the army I enlisted right after high school as a 19 Delta Cavalry Scout at the age of eighteen. I joined the army at a time of war. I joined in order to prevent myself from spiraling down the wrong path. Instead of following the un-lawful ways of the streets I sought after the blanket of security that the army provided.

I am not the first person from my family to make the life changing decision to join the army. My grandfather’s brother served in Vietnam and the internal conflicts that he encountered from deploying to Vietnam possibly had a lot to do with him killing himself. Another reason why I enlisted into the army was because my goal in life is to become a bestseller author, and joining the army was one of the first stepping stones that I laid in order for that to one day happen.

The army helped me overcome my shyness by introducing me to new cultures, places, and people. Joining the army allowed me to meet people that will always be a major part of my life. I will always know my brothers and sisters in arms as family. Before I joined the army I was really quiet and shy, but the army really opened me up and helped me become the man that I am today. My service to the army as well as our country really gave me something to be proud of.

The worst part of the war for me was when an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) killed one of the soldiers from my platoon in 2007 on the 25th of May. His name is Casey P. Zylman and I actually dedicated my book to him in honor of his sacrifice for our country. My wartime experience showed me that no matter what my current situation in life is, it could always be worse. I would have to say that the greatest fear that I had while deployed wasn’t seeing death come to me, but seeing it come to someone close to me. During both of my deployments I was a single soldier, so for me, whenever I came home, I was just glad to be back in a place where I felt safe again.

The transition from being deployed to coming home was one of the biggest challenges that I’ve faced, as well as the challenge and transition of stepping back into the civilian world. When I got out of the military I had tried to kill myself on multiple occasions. Now one of my recommendations to returning soldiers is to never see the idea of seeking help as a sign of weakness, because it is a sign of strength. Whenever I encounter soldiers who plan on getting out of the military I stress to them the importance of developing a plan, and most importantly, sticking to it. I realized that I needed to surround myself around people that were going to help build me up and support me and get rid of those people that were holding me back from any type of progression. If you know that you are going to be out of the military in 12 months I recommend that you start forming a general idea of what you want to do once you are out of the military, and that you start saving up money to live on for a couple of months. I try to help out as many veterans as I can by informing them of all of the benefits that are available to them.

I recommend that all veterans visit www.ebenefits.va.gov and register, because for me that has been the most beneficial way to file a claim with the Veterans Affairs Administration. Since I have been out I have also met many veterans who haven’t been informed of a program called Combat Related Special Compensation (CRSC) which is available to those that have been awarded a 10% or greater service connected disability or condition from the VA that meets the definition of combat-related as defined by DOD guidance. Disabilities that may be considered combat related include injuries incurred as a direct result of:

• Armed Conflict
• Hazardous Duty
• An Instrumentality of War Simulated War

Today I am doing great! This is primarily due to the fact that I have realized that God has a plan for my life. My book, “From A Soldier’s Perspective” is now available on Amazon amazon.com/Soldiers-Perspective-Mic…/…/ref=sr_1_1_twi_2_kin… …

To keep up with the most current news in regards to my next book, I encourage everyone to follow me on my website and twitter sites.
Thank you for your much-appreciated support.

~ Michael Lee Womack, Veteran
twitter.com/WomackPoetry
www.womackpoetry.com

We wish to thank Michael for sharing his service and story with Comes A Soldier’s Whisper where we are all connected.

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