Pillars of Strength | UMGC Global Media Center

Pillars of Strength Scholarship Recipient: Alison Storemski

January 12, 2023

Back to School: Military Wife and Caregiver Makes Up for Lost Time When Alison Storemski was a newlywed when she set out with her husband, Brian, to Vicenza, Italy

Norfolk, Va., Caregiver Receives 2020 Pillars of Strength Scholarship

January 12, 2023

Erika Auro-Romillo was working as a radiologic technologist in Manila in 2009 when she met her future wife, Natalie, a former Army combat medic and health care specialist who had grown up in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and was visiting relatives in the Philippines at the time. “When she [Natalie} told me her circumstances, I knew I had to take care of her. It was a learning curve for me to navigate the Veterans Administration health care

Clovis, NM, Caregiver Receives 2020 Pillars of Strength Scholarship

January 12, 2023

At first, Nicole Paredes-Laign was baffled by her husband’s behavior after he returned from back-to-back tours with the Air Force in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2011 and 2012. He is still on active duty at Cannon Air Force base in Clovis, New Mexico. But, worn down by combat-triggered psychological damage, her husband is seeking a medical retirement. “After eight years [Justin] is finally getting diagnosed with combat PTSD and

Clayton, NC, Caregiver Receives 2020 Pillars of Strength Scholarship

January 12, 2023

When Lindsay Williams shares the list of ailments arising from the combat injuries her husband Erik suffered during Army deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, her account is both staggering—and sadly familiar to caregivers of wounded service members. Traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, migraines, degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis, tinnitus, neuropathy—all are common conditions for those who have been in frequent firefights, have ridden in vehicles that have rolled

Glen Burnie, Md., Caregiver Receives 2020 Pillars of Strength Scholarship

January 12, 2023

Candace Laguna’s life as a caregiver started after 2004 when her Marine Corps husband, Frank, returned from duty in Iraq. Describing him as “incredibly adventurous” and “self-giving,” Laguna said her hard-charging Marine always wanted to stay in the fight with his men. “He never sought immediate medical treatment when he should have, and that wreaked havoc on his health.” Her husband began battling with a traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder. He suffered from

Pillars of Strength Scholarship Recipient: Lisa Shaw

Making Memories that Matter Lisa Shaw had to drop out of college when her son was born, and most of her working life has been as a nanny and an administrative assistant.

Wallkill, NY, Caregiver Receives 2020 Pillars of Strength Scholarship

Pamela Rutkowski knows she will need a better education when she becomes the sole supporter of her husband, Jeff, and their three children. He had joined the Marine Corps in 2007 and two years later was deployed to Afghanistan as a diesel mechanic on a truck convoy. Rutkowski said that in October 2009 she got

Pillars of Strength Scholarship Recipient: Lelia Cottner

Focused and Fearless: Veering into Cybersecurity Lelia Cottner’s husband, Linwood, is an Army veteran of multiple wars, from Bosnia to Afghanistan.

Pillars of Strength Scholarship Recipient: Karen Lopez

On a Mission: Reforming Veterans’ Health Care from Inside the VA Karen Lopez has dedicated herself to reforming the U.S. Department of Veterans Administration one piece at a time.

North Carolina Caregiver Receives 2020 Pillars of Strength Scholarship

It was Easter Sunday 2007, and Tona Rimmer’s husband, Dana, was on his fifth tour of duty as part of an Army unit transporting supplies from Kuwait to U.S. forces in northern Iraq. The two were chatting on Yahoo Messenger when—everything suddenly went dark. Her husband called back as quickly as he could to tell her there was an “issue” and that she would not hear from

Pillars of Strength Scholarship Recipient: Melissa Allen

Pursuing a Career that Will Support her Family When she married Scotty Allen, a member of the Army infantry, Melissa knew what she was in for.

Pillars of Strength Scholarship Recipient: Elisabeth Baugess

Preparing for a New Life Beyond the Navy Elisabeth Baugess and her husband, Kenneth, have Oklahoma roots.

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