Courtesy Photo | (Photo courtesy Sgt. Chrishna Wray) Sgt. Chrishna Wray – “I live my life with no...... read more read more
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FALLS CHURCH, Va.- Anyone in a leadership position knows that the pressure is tremendous, and meeting the wants and needs of others is a daily task. Sgt. Chrishna Wray learned that not listening to her body would cause a different kind of pressure. “I tell my Soldiers not to be like me because I kept myself on the back burner.”
Wray immigrated from Jamaica with her mother and has been in the Army for 12 years. The active-duty Soldier had training injuries over the years to her knee and hip that she says parlayed into back issues. She learned how bad it had become on a recent deployment with her company from Fort Riley. “I went on sick call when I was in Korea, and they did an MRI on my back and saw I had a bulging disc that was pretty severe. I was told it was so severe that surgery would have been risky,” says Wray, who, on top of all that, said doctors told her she has fibromyalgia.
As a motor transport operator, she became the Korean deployment's platoon sergeant and operations NCO. The very demanding job she loves kept her focused on pleasing leadership and taking care of Soldiers. “It was mentally demanding, and there were times I admit I just wasn’t focusing on what was going on with my body, and it got worse,” said Wray, who wants to remind leaders to take care of themselves.
In August last year, Wray was assigned to the Fort Belvoir SRU. Her road to recovery included physical therapy and adaptive reconditioning events, and she is also in the process of going through the medical board. “When it came to my hip, back, and knees, I was approached about a med-board, and I asked if there was an alternative. A permanent profile was suggested so that I couldn’t do certain activities. I didn’t have it in mind to get out of the military. I migrated from Jamaica and a year later joined the military, so since I've been in America, this is all I’ve done.”
Wray learned at the SRU about opportunities offered through Career Education and Readiness (CER). Facing the medical board, she is taking her skills in the military and getting help co-relating them to the civilian world. “I have an internship with the DOD Inspector General's office. I’ve been interning with them since February,” said the mother of two. She was also offered an internship with the National Geo-Spatial Intelligence Agency.
Wray is in awe of the support from the Fort Belvoir SRU for her recovery and the future. “From the beginning, when I arrived, my Nurse Case Manager told me they were here for me. It was a weird feeling—my command at the SRU was amazing, and they were a massive help. I’m used to taking care of people, not people taking care of me,” said the 33-year-old.
Wray will always prioritize ensuring Soldiers understand the value of going to the SRU, and she will share her experiences of what to do and not do. “Use all the resources and go to school. Ask multiple questions. Never say no to any opportunities. I've seen a few Soldiers who had the same opportunities but didn’t take them, and then, in the end, they wished they had.”
For the Soldiers who are unsure of their future, Wray insists that the staff and cadre are ready to help. “Let them know your goals, and if you don’t have any, let them know what you think you want to do so they can help you with resources. “
It’s not how she wanted to end her Army career, but with a positive attitude, Wray is ready to face the next chapter of her life. “I live my life with no regrets. I go by that personally. If I did something right or wrong, it’s a teachable moment. I want to be able to help others.”
| Date Taken: | 08.06.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 08.06.2024 12:20 |
| Story ID: | 477876 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 34 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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