Staff Sgt. Motivated by Wounded Warriors

Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class William Phillips | A Soldier going through the Warrior Transition Brigade (WTB) asked Staff Sgt. Loriann DeMelis, an inpatient squad leader at the WTB, if she had done her pull-ups.  

BETHESDA, MD, UNITED STATES

05.05.2016

Story by Seaman William Phillips 

Naval Support Activity Bethesda

By MCSN William Phillips
NSAB Public Affairs staff writer
A Soldier going through the Warrior Transition Brigade (WTB) asked Staff Sgt. Loriann DeMelis, an inpatient squad leader at the WTB, if she had done her pull-ups.

“No, once you start doing them I’ll start doing them,” DeMelis said.

The Soldier rolled his wheelchair into DeMelis’ doorway, raised himself up to the pull-up bar that hung in her doorway, put his prosthetic arm and then his other arm on the bar and started doing pull-ups right out of his wheelchair.

“It’s amazing how resilient these service members are,” said DeMelis. “It motivated me to help these service members as much as I can.”

Like some people who enlist in the military, DeMelis was not sure about what she wanted to do for a living after high school.

“After high school I was walking around aimlessly,” said DeMelis. “I was working but I wasn’t sure what to do. So one day I went to talk to an Army recruiter, it sounded like something I could see myself doing so I decided to enlist.”

DeMelis enlisted in the Connecticut National Guard’s military police in 1984 and deployed with the District of Columbia Army National Guard’s 275th Military Police Company from January 1991 to May 1991 in support of Operation Desert Storm/Desert Shield. After returning from deployment she decided to separate from the military in 1992.

“I got out after Desert Storm because I went through a lot of emotions,” said DeMelis. “It was my first deployment, I was young and scared, and thought ‘I don’t ever want to do this again.’ I got out in fear of getting deployed again.”

For the next 14 years, she worked odd jobs with no upward mobility or long-term benefits.

“Again I came to a point in my life where I changed careers from carpentry to teaching golf. Even though it was fun, there was no future or retirement,” said DeMelis.

After seeing the United States’ response to 9/11 and the situation in Iraq, she decided to enlist again.

“I came back in 2006 because of everything that was going on in Iraq and Afghanistan. I just felt at that time in my life that could help,” said DeMelis. “I wanted to go fight for my country.”

DeMelis deployed in 2007 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. This second deployment shaped her future.

“I lost my squad leader two weeks into a deployment in Iraq, which was pretty devastating,” said DeMelis. “We had a few other injuries throughout the deployment.”

As a result of her experiences, DeMelis wanted to serve in a more permanent capacity and have a larger impact so she found a way to volunteer and serve on active duty as a squad leader supporting the WTB.

“My lieutenant was shot in the neck by a sniper and he was here at Walter Reed for years,” said DeMelis. “I think that’s what drew me to the WTB here. It was my lieutenant being injured that made me want to come here.”

For DeMelis, serving as a squad leader at the WTB has been both rewarding and humbling.

“Words can’t describe what it is like serving as a squad leader here,” said DeMelis. “It is extremely rewarding seeing these service members coming back from down range; to be able to be there for them and their families, and to see them going from barely being alive in the hospital, to living a normal life. To see that day in and day out is a humbling experience.”

For the first few years in her demanding role as squad leader, it was hard for DeMelis to keep control of her emotions.

“There are times where you lose [service members] and it gets emotional,” said DeMelis. “The first couple of years were very stressful and emotional and it was hard to keep my feelings in check. There were times that I had to shut my door and cry. When it got really bad there were times that I had to reach out to behavioral health.”

Recognizing the positive impact it has had, DeMelis continues to utilize behavioral health.

“I grew up keeping my emotions and feelings inside so behavioral health allows me to let out what I have been bottling up,” said DeMelis. “It was great once I learned that I could see someone and let it all out.”

During some of DeMelis’ sessions, she finds emotions she wasn’t expecting to find.

“When I go I usually end up really opening up and finding stuff that I didn’t really know that was building up inside,” said DeMelis. “You build up anxiety inside of you and don’t even know it until you go see somebody.”

DeMelis said that if she could talk to a service member who is struggling with the decision to get help, she would tell them her story.

“I used to think that if you went and saw behavioral health your career’s done and you are put in a category by yourself.” said DeMelis. “I went through that [deciding to get help] and I would share my story with them. I would try to help them understand that it is ok to get help.”

As challenging as her career has been so far, she draws motivation from the warriors she works with on a daily basis.

“For me it is easy to stay motivated,” DeMelis said. “Seeing what these service members go through and [how] they come out on top, it motivates me to serve more. I used to say I can’t wait until my 20 years are up, but now I want to stick it out past my 20 years. I want to serve as long as I can.”

• Date Taken: 05.05.2016
• Date Posted: 05.05.2016 14:10
• Story ID: 197409
• Location: BETHESDA, MD, US