Still 1Navywoman: A Painful Journey

By Denise Boulet

This continuing story describes my life after active duty and while in the navy reserves. Its the story of my struggle to make a normal life for myself, all the while unaware that I was suffering from depression, ADD, and dyslexia.

Despite my family of origin placing me into foster care at age twelve, I attempted on numerous occasions to reach out to them, wanting to be accepted and loved by them. I failed to achieve this, so Ive quit trying. It only causes me more depression.

Some verses from 2 Corinthians chapter 4 sum up my feelings about that part of my life:

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Inspiring Voices
• Release date: May 14, 2012
• ISBN: 9781462401369

Denise Boulet

On June 6, 1949, Denise loudly announced her arrival in this world. Her single mother took Denise to her parents’ house, where she lived until aged six.  At age twenty-three, Denise joined the US Navy and served twenty honorable years.

Book preview

Copyright © 2012 Denise Boulet

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Inspiring Voices books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting:

Inspiring Voices

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.inspiringvoices.com

1-[phone]

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-4624-0137-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4624-0136-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012937435

Inspiring Voices rev. date: 05/10/2012

Contents

My Thanks

Preface

Still 1Navywoman

The U.S. Navy Reserves

My fear of flying

My flight to Naples IT

God Loves Women

Women aboard the ISS

Depression

P.T.S.D.

Vet Centers

Helpful Web Sites

Sexual Molestation in the Church

Epigraph

For Mother, Jim-Bo and George

My Thanks

At first, I did not think that I had anybody to thank and it is true that I did not have any help writing this book I have people to thank anyway.

First, to my mother, Flora Belle Boulet for giving me life and trying to be a mother. You did the best you could.

To the United States Navy for allowing me to join and to the many senior enlisted personnel who helped me in my advancement through the ranks to E6. To the instructors who did a great job of teaching in the Navy schools I attended. Most of them were interesting, I was interested, and you made it that way.

To the VA doctors and nurses who care for me but especially to the psychologist and psychiatrist who talked to me and who listened when I talked and put me on medication to help me. I had to try different ones before I found the one that works but thank you all. The medication helps me to live my day-to-day life and to finally, after many years, to tell my story.

Preface

If you have not read my first book, 1navywoman, you probably will not understand this one because it is a continuation of the first one. But then again who knows?

In the first book, I describe my horrible childhood, my nightmare years in foster care and the sexual molestation and rape I suffered there, and finally, about five years after my high school graduation, and making a lot of mistakes in life, I joined the Navy and that made all the difference in my life. It got me away from Louisiana, gave me a career and a direction in life for which I am thankful and that’s why I named the first book 1navywoman.

In this, my second book, I relate the story of me processing off active duty and joining the Navy Reserves and the confusion of becoming a part time civilian and a part time Navy person. Today’s military have plenty of help with transitioning from military to civilian life. In 1983, nothing was in place to help veterans who made the choice to process from the military so we were left on our on out in the cold and believe me, it is a cold world.

Let me say that joining the military during the Viet Nam era was, to say the least, bad; to say the most, awful! I could have joined at another time, and wish that I had.

It was an unpopular war back home! There were protests, riots and an incident at Kent Campus, at Kent University in Kent, Ohio. You can do your own online search. Veterans returning from the war were spit on and probably worse than that. Sam was spat on even though he never went anywhere