A fight to see her mother

When LeTeja Gallery left home for the Army she had no idea it would mean seeing her mother for the last time.

            After enlisting in 2009, Gallery spent four years of her life as a soldier in the U.S. Army. Even though there were several positive experiences during this time, these were some of the most difficult years of her life.

            It all started in high school when Gallery followed in her aunt’s footsteps and joined AFJROTC (Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps). She excelled in the program and became the Flight Commander and the Drill Team Captain of her unit.

            “I knew that AFJROTC would look great on college applications,” said Gallery. “Half way through it became more than that. It became my everything.”

            Academics also was important to Gallery. With a dream of being the first of her family to graduate college with a degree, she devoted her high school years to her studies and building her college resume. Her hard work paid off and shortly after graduation, she was accepted into the University of Louisiana-Lafayette.

            After just one quarter in school, the pressure became too much. Gallery needed a change from the constant obsession of academics. She decided to take a break from

school and joined the United States Army. She is the first of her family to serve her country.

Gallery was immediately put into a leadership role because she already had experience from doing AFJROTC in high school.

            “Basic training was hell,” Gallery said. “Not being able to talk to family was the hardest part.”

            After two weeks of grueling physical training, lack of sleep, and missing her family, she reached her breaking point.

            “I just couldn’t do it anymore,” Gallery said. “I had a nervous breakdown.

Her drill sergeant found her upstairs sobbing. “My drill sergeant gave me the talk of my life, and I knew from that point on that I could do it,” she said.

            After basic training, Gallery moved on to AIT (Advanced Individual Training) where she learned the skills needed to become a Signal Support Systems Specialist.

            Gallery finished her training and was then deployed to South Korea. Shortly after she arrived she was promoted to the E7 position where she was put in charge of millions of dollars worth of equipment and supervised two to six soldiers at a time.

            “It was one of the best times I had in my life,” said Gallery. “Experiencing the culture was so exciting to me. The people in South Korea were so nice, hospitable, and full of love. The buildings and architecture were beautiful.”

            Staying in touch with family and friends was difficult. They could write letters to each other, but talking on the phone was expensive, and Skype was not always reliable.

She missed her family like the desert misses the rain.

“Family is everything to me,” Gallery said. “Tango sometimes wasn’t enough when all I wanted to do was hug my mom.”

Even though Gallery was able to take leave, the high cost of a plane ticket home made it impossible to visit her family. She knew it was more important to send the money home to help her mother.

            After her time in South Korea, Gallery returned to the states and was stationed at Joint Base Lewis McChord. Just two weeks later, she received word that her mother was sick in the hospital. Gallery was still in processing and her request to leave so she could visit her mother was denied.

            With tears in her eyes, Gallery still remembers her mother’s last words to her over the phone. “Baby, Mama dying.”

            Still, Gallery thought she had more time. She was sure the paperwork would go through and she would be with her mother soon after. Three days later, she received a Red Cross message. Her mother had died.

            “I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye,” Gallery said, “My mom didn’t even get a chance to see me in my uniform, but she was there for me through it all.”

            With an honorable discharge from the Army, Gallery now lives in Washington State where she attends Pierce College working toward her degree in communications. She will soon become a mother herself as her first child is due in October.