She Magazine JULY 2016 | Page 107

IN MARCH 2003, KRISTEN’S SQUADRON DEPLOYED TO IRAQ. Arriving in Kuwait to unload equipment and trucks, Kristen was selected among nine others to fly to Baghdad ahead of the convoy to prepare for the rest of the squadron to arrive. “For several weeks, all we had were the necessities: no running water, no bathrooms, no showers. We ate MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) for every meal and slept in tents with our M-16s next to our cots. The war was still happening around us, but eventually the sound of gunfire and explosions didn’t even faze us unless it was close by and we had to take cover.” After seven months, the troop returned home. Unfortunately, Kristen returned after having to say a final goodbye to her friend, Staff Sergeant Pat “Griff” Griffin. “I and a few other people had flown to Baghdad ahead of the rest of the squadron to get things ready. Griff was on the convoy in one of our large trucks. The convoy stopped to take a break, and Griff got out of the truck. As he did so, he stepped on an unexploded ordinance, and it detonated. The medics did everything they could to save him, but it just wasn’t enough. Up until then, it hadn’t really sunk in that we were really in a war zone; this wasn’t just another exercise. It left everybody in shock.” CONTINUED SHEMAGAZINE.COM JULY 2016 109