‘Honestly, I feel like nothing can break me’
“When my ex-husband and I were deployed the first time to Afghanistan, my kids were separated. My oldest daughter stayed with my family and the twins were with his family. So they don’t have that normal sister bond. They didn’t really get a chance to know each other. There’s no real foundation there.
“That’s something I’m trying to develop. It’s challenging, since they live apart. The twins are with their father and his fiancé. They’re good people, and they have a stable home. My oldest wants to stay with me. But I’m still working on our relationship.
“When she was younger, I couldn’t even go to the store without her freaking out about me leaving. And I understand that. I had deployed twice. And even though she was only a few years old, she remembered. So with her, I think it’s more abandonment type issues that I’m working on. You know, just being there for her and loving her.
“What I tell my daughters is, ‘Your mother is strong.’ Dealing with the effects of war, time away from my children and a broken marriage taught me to be so strong. Honestly, I feel like nothing can break me. I tell them that they have that kind of strength coursing through their veins, too. So don’t back down from anything or anybody. Stand firm in your beliefs, and you’re going to succeed and get far in life.”
— Erica Salazar
After serving as an intelligence analyst in the Army, Erica earned a bachelor’s degree in national security studies. At the moment, she is teaching English as a second language online to children in China.
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