The Greatest Day of My Life
The Day My Life Changed For the Best
Shawnna Greenwell
American InterContinental University
The Day My Life Changed For the Best Growing up, I never imagined my life would turn out the way it did. I had a troubling childhood, growing up in foster care from age 7 to 21. I thought I had everything under control. I was very wrong. My life was spinning out of control and I couldn’t change it. Then one day I decided to join the Army, and my life changed from that day forward. I found that I was capable of giving my boys a good childhood, not like the one I had. After that, I met the man I am now married to and we have a wonderful family with my two boys and our daughter. I never thought October 15, 2008 would change my life for the best.
I grew up in foster care from the age of 7 to 21. I always thought of myself as a strong person because of the things I had saw and learned from the different families I had lived with. The truth is that I was just a scared little child inside afraid to come out. I had a lot of growing up to do, still do sometimes. I thought I knew all the answers and no one could tell me otherwise. That all changed when I was 28 and joined the Army National Guard. My life was going down a wrong path. I was about to lose custody of my boys. I didn’t want them to have the childhood I did. The only way I knew I could save my family was to join the military. I started talking to an Army recruiter about what I needed to do to enlist. My family kept telling me that I was just wasting my time and that I would never be able to join. I knew that I could do it. Every time someone said I wouldn’t make it, I just worked out harder that day to lose the weight I needed to. In October 2008, my recruiter and I thought I was ready, so we set a date to go down to MEPS.
On 15 October 2008, my recruiter and I went to the MEPS station in Milwaukee, WI. I was so nervous. Even though I was confident up to that day that I would get in and pass
Shawnna Greenwell
American InterContinental University
The Day My Life Changed For the Best Growing up, I never imagined my life would turn out the way it did. I had a troubling childhood, growing up in foster care from age 7 to 21. I thought I had everything under control. I was very wrong. My life was spinning out of control and I couldn’t change it. Then one day I decided to join the Army, and my life changed from that day forward. I found that I was capable of giving my boys a good childhood, not like the one I had. After that, I met the man I am now married to and we have a wonderful family with my two boys and our daughter. I never thought October 15, 2008 would change my life for the best.
I grew up in foster care from the age of 7 to 21. I always thought of myself as a strong person because of the things I had saw and learned from the different families I had lived with. The truth is that I was just a scared little child inside afraid to come out. I had a lot of growing up to do, still do sometimes. I thought I knew all the answers and no one could tell me otherwise. That all changed when I was 28 and joined the Army National Guard. My life was going down a wrong path. I was about to lose custody of my boys. I didn’t want them to have the childhood I did. The only way I knew I could save my family was to join the military. I started talking to an Army recruiter about what I needed to do to enlist. My family kept telling me that I was just wasting my time and that I would never be able to join. I knew that I could do it. Every time someone said I wouldn’t make it, I just worked out harder that day to lose the weight I needed to. In October 2008, my recruiter and I thought I was ready, so we set a date to go down to MEPS.
On 15 October 2008, my recruiter and I went to the MEPS station in Milwaukee, WI. I was so nervous. Even though I was confident up to that day that I would get in and pass