Podcast Interview with Army Veteran & CEO Carrie Beavers

It happened one night while sleeping in an open bay at Army AIT. If you didn’t want yelled at by a drill sargeant the whole time you were making your bed you slept on top of the covers. I also slept in PT uniform of a tshirt and shorts on the top bunk. I was woke up by a man’s (drill sargeant) hand slowly moving up my leg up over my body, and down my arm. I opened my eyes and when I saw him standing I immediately closed my eyes and froze. I could not move. The events that happened that night changed my life forever at age 18. I was afraid to report it at the time. I was one way a happy, trusting, PTSD free mindset. After I was depressed, rolled up in a ball on the floor crying, not knowing why. I was in complete denial. The moment I left I suppressed the incident ever happened. Germany was my first duty station in 1991 during the Gulf War. I went from not drinking and never trying drugs to drinking excessively and doing a variety of drugs. Anything I could do to numb my feelings, and not face the pain. I did not know that I had PTSD. I just knew something was wrong. I dated my future husband in Germany and we had a very on and off again relationship. It was hard for me to trust, or respect a man. We married in 1993 and I transitioned out of the Army to Ft. Bragg where he was stationed. I had a very hard time transitioning to civilian life. I joined the Army Reserves and was assigned with the 82nd Aviation as support. I got a civilian job in sales. I was fired because I could not make the sales quota. It felt like being thrown into another world and being expected to know how to do the job. After only 4 months out of active duty I reenlisted active duty Army as a Combat medic. I was assigned to Womack Army Medical Center. I went from being the soldier that was picked for having the best uniform to escort the Generals around to not getting along with my chain of command. I was demoted and later on earned back the rank. I was the medic that the Army nurses came to do things because I was great at my job. I was