Rachell Tucker

I joined the U.S. Army as a part of the DEP program my senior year of high school. I enlisted at 17 years old, with parent approval, of course, on Oct 26, 2001. I wanted to join the military to get away from Miami, Fl, where I was born and raised because I wanted to travel, exercise and wear a cool uniform. Additionally, my parents were not going to let me go to university outside of Miami, which I really wanted to do, so this was the perfect answer. Needless to say, I had no consciousness of the world and ate up the propaganda, seeing that 9/11 had just happened, and did not really take joining at a time of war as a serious thing. I knew that I didn't want to die in war, though. Anyway, I signed up as a Morse-Code Operator and left for basic training at Fort Jackson on Aug 22, 2002. I did AIT at Fort Huachuca for 6 months then got sent to Bad Aibling , Germany. I was here for 5 months before my unit was moved to Darmstadt, Germany, where I spent till 2006. I decided to reenlist because I did not know what to do if I got out, and since my MOS was discontinued I reclassed to a Spanish Linguist. Later, I went to my second AIT in San Angelo and was stationed in San Antonio, where I currently reside. I worked at the Medina Annex as a linguist, analyst, training NCO, and S-1 personnel. While here I saw the military for more of what it actually is and with the encouragement of my husband I was able to get out at my 8-year mark and go to school. I attended UTSA and studied Anthropology with minors in Spanish and Latin American studies. This academic path helped me understand the world and how through colonization, globalization, and imperialism, which are all parts or phases of capitalism, the US had damaged and exploited other countries. By studying the history of Latin America I was able to develop a strong antiwar stance because I saw that since the inception of the U.S., we have done nothing but steal resources and gain dominance through war, political destabilization and the violation of sovereignty. After this, I studied for my Masters in Bilingual/ BIcultural studies with a Teaching Certificate. I now am teaching the next generation in a dual language 1st grade classroom. My goal is to stop the glorification of the military in areas that are economically poor, raise consciousness, and empower children by showing them alternate historical narratives, teaching them to ask questions and be critical of their surroundings and to care about the world and its people. I look forward to being a part of an organization of like minded people who have the courage to stand up to the military industrial complex.