Ysabel Cardona, or Ysa as she’s known to everyone around her, served as an Operations Specialist in the United States Navy from 1999 to 2006. Ysa says she loved her time in the military.
“I love to travel, at the age of 18 I got to go to Japan, Guam, Korea, Hong Kong, Australia, Malaysia, and Dubai,” Ysa said.
“I’m very blessed and I would do it again. I have no regrets.”
Ysa says her transition to civilian life after getting out of the service was not as enjoyable as her time in the military. She struggled financially and emotionally, which hurt her relationships and mental well-being.
“It sucked,” Ysa said. “I lost myself – I also got a divorce, I couldn’t get a job, it was really hard. The only job that I got a callback from was Target.”
Ysa said the life she had built for herself in the military and the life she started living as a civilian could not be more different.
“I was making more money in service and I went from making a comfortable living to not hardly anything,” Ysa said. “I could have gone to our local junior college – but that wasn’t what I wanted to do. I wanted to travel the world and serve my country.”
Ysa says many veterans share her experience and struggle to adjust to civilian life.
“We just forget. We’re still the warrior, we’re still who we were born to be.”
Ysa’s journey after the military saw her both homeless and struggling with severe depression; she never thought it would affect her as much as it did.
“You never think it’s you, you never think you’re the one who has the problem and I’m always the person who helps and steps up who wants to help others.”
Despite it being Ysa’s belief that she should not ask for help, she says she doesn’t regret it.
“It was kind of hard but it wasn’t,” Ysa said. “I got tired of living a mediocre life.”
Ysa reached out and received help through the Wounded Warrior Project . After receiving that help, she decided she wanted to do her part as a Peer Leader with the Wounded Warrior Project.
Helping veterans transition to civilian life can be incredibly difficult, Ysa says. She hopes to help them see that they are not alone and that a better life is out there. Ysa says military families and people with loved ones who are veterans can help by supporting programs dedicated to improving military and veteran lives.
“There’s so many actually free programs and services provided by our local non-profits,” Ysa said. “A lot of those services offer volunteer services where you can go and volunteer with them. That actually opens the door.”
Ysa says she is proud and happy to do her part in supporting veterans and their families, making them aware of resources because the alternative is leaving the men and women who served to fend for themselves.
“That is why I do what I do. I’ve lost too many friends to suicide.” Ysa said. “Just trying to reach one person every day is enough.”
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