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    #HumansOfScottAFB: Tech. Sgt. Lakendrea James [Image 6 of 22]

    #HumansOfScottAFB: Tech. Sgt. Lakendrea James

    SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, IL, UNITED STATES

    07.16.2019

    Photo by Senior Airman Tara Stetler 

    375th Air Mobility Wing

    “The biggest obstacle I’ve overcome would definitely have to be my abusive marriage. I was married for roughly four years, and it was not a loving relationship. It was a very, very dark time in my life.

    I look at it, and I’m amazed that I was even able to get out of it. I was always that person who said, ‘If I ever encountered that situation, I would just leave,’ but it’s not that easy sometimes. I didn’t have a safe place to go, and sometimes it’s hard because of the love factor. My son was a year old at the time, and the last situation that I encountered with his father, he was there. I didn’t want him to see that or to grow up thinking that it was okay to abuse women, so I found the strength then to leave. My son was my strength. You never know how strong you are until you have to be that strong.
    Now, I’m remarried, and my husband and my kids are like my safety net. I’m always happy and excited to see them and share my day with them, and they’re always there for me to listen. They’re my biggest support and my biggest source of happiness.

    I would definitely say to people in a similar situation that abuse is not love. Know that you’re not alone in that situation – there’s someone somewhere who’s also going through it, so don’t be afraid to share your story. Make sure you’re communicating with someone who you trust. A lot of times I didn’t feel like I had anybody to talk to about that, so I internalized it. I recently started Every Queen Empowered, a blog that’s basically just stories of what I’ve overcome and giving advice to people in similar situations. I would love to, through my experiences, help other people to not have to encounter everything that I have.”

    - Tech. Sgt. Lakendrea James, 375th Force Support Squadron NCO in charge of the Official Mail Center

    #HumansOfScottAFB is an ongoing photo series featuring the stories of people who work, live, and volunteer at Scott Air Force Base.

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    IMAGE INFO

    Date Taken: 07.16.2019
    Date Posted: 09.16.2019 16:46
    Photo ID: 5754584
    VIRIN: 190716-F-VX890-1008
    Resolution: 6133x4725
    Size: 2.38 MB
    Location: SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, IL, US

    Web Views: 70
    Downloads: 9

    PUBLIC DOMAIN