Army veteran, Gold Star spouse was drawn to join military after 9/11

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Three cardinal members of the United States subject person served since Sept. 11, 2001. Of those, according to the Department of Defense, 800,000 did combat work successful Afghanistan.

Since the federation went to warfare successful Iraq and Afghanistan, much than 7,000 American lives that were mislaid successful the “war connected terror.” Of those is 1 astir precious to Maggie Beckerman, who lives successful Middleburg.

She’s an Army seasoned and a Gold Star spouse. Her husband, Michael, was killed successful action.

“There’s definite memories you can’t blur retired astatine all,” Beckerman said arsenic she recalled the panic attacks connected 9/11.

At the time, she was a ninth-grader, and that moment, the images that picture the events of that time moved her to articulation America’s military.

“There was that tendency afterwards to serve, to bash what you tin for our federation and you don’t rather cognize what it’s going to be,” she said.

In 2006, she enlisted successful the Army.

“I’ll beryllium honest,” Beckerman said. “I didn’t cognize what I was getting into.”

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She earned the fertile of proviso sergeant and was deployed 3 times to the Middle East.

Along the way, she met different worker -- the antheral who aboriginal became her husband. She described him arsenic a go-getter.

So, what’s it similar to beryllium joined to idiosyncratic who besides serves?

“It was rewarding to person someone, person that aforesaid professionalism, wherever you person a ngo you request to get thing done oregon you person a task. OK, let’s spell get it. OK, what bash you request to get done. OK, what bash you -- bash you request help? And you respect that idiosyncratic successful the consciousness that they person thing they request to instrumentality attraction of,” Beckerman said.

They were joined and kept serving. Both deployed to Afghanistan successful 2009-10.

Among her duties, to instrumentality portion successful a ramp ceremonial for those killed successful action.

“You deliberation astir what were their thoughts. And you effort to grant them by remaining arrogant stoic and professional. And there’s a gut feeling of, just, let’s get the ngo done,” Beckerman said.

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On the past time of 2010, Beckerman’s battalion commandant had a connection for her.

She disquieted a conflict buddy with children was being notified. She didn’t spot it coming.

“I was like, this is simply a Red Cross message. So, I said a prayer, ‘Give her the spot for what she needs to get done, and assistance her done this. This is not going to beryllium easy.’ And erstwhile I walked inside. I walked inside, my archetypal sergeant told maine to ‘come into my commander’s office.’ That’s erstwhile I recovered out,” Beckerman said.

Sgt. Michael Beckerman had fixed his beingness for his country. He was killed by an improvised explosive instrumentality wrong a building.

“Michael did what helium loved and helium protected those that helium cared for,” his widow said.

The detonation took his beingness and changed hers forever.

“My precise past ramp ceremonial was really my husband’s, and I was a portion of it successful a antithetic way,” she said. “I was really pursuing his pursuing his casket from behind.”

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In the months that followed, Maggie Beckerman realized she needed to modulation backmost to civilian life. She besides recovered a mode to header with her nonaccomplishment and lend to different warriors.

Beckerman recovered K-9 Line, which trains a veteran’s favored to beryllium their enactment animal.

Her companion is Gunter, and he’s been a lifesaver.

Now, Maggie Beckerman is backmost to offering each she has to others, taking a enactment relation with K-9 Line.

“And now, being the president of this organization, there’s not conscionable pride, but there’s that quality to proceed serving, to proceed with that camaraderie with different radical that person that aforesaid mindset,” she said.

Maggie Beckerman – for her ain involvement and to grant her hubby – is applying what she learned successful the Army.

“You ne'er springiness up. You ne'er judge defeat. You ne'er quit,” she said. “You ne'er permission a fallen comrade. And that follows you. And I tin bash that with K9 Line close now.”

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