Courtesy Photo | (Photo courtesy Dr. Krystal Morris) Brigadier General Deydre Teyhen, Maj. Krystal...... read more read more
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FALLS CHURCH, Va.-“My closest friends are service member women, and they are amazing role models. We all feel fulfilled and like we are contributing to something bigger,” said Dr Krystal Morris, a recently retired Army Major who served twenty years as a physical therapist.
Being a woman in the Army is a familiar feeling for the Gainesville, Florida native. “I had a good example; my mom was an Army Nurse, and she did it all, even with children. She's always been my biggest role model.”
Morris grew up with her Army nurse mom and her dad, who worked for the VA, so government service was nothing new to her. She did say it was basic economics when she got the talk from her parents about options after college. “My parents sat me down and said we did not save up money for you to go to grad school, but there is an Army Physical Therapy program you should look into,” she said, laughing.
Morris finished her military service with the Army Recovery Care Program, where she now remains a civilian, working as the Adaptive Reconditioning Branch Action Officer. Her journey here, she says, was fate. “Before working at the SRU, I worked at the military treatment facility side of the house. The majority of my career has been in outpatient PT, where I hand-walk patients from when I see them to hopefully returning to duty. Still, I felt a piece was missing, as if we only focused on their PT functional progress. I felt like so much more goes into a soldier's recovery that isn’t addressed in the hospital setting. When I came over to the SRU side of the house, I saw that it truly is a comprehensive recovery care program,” said Morris, who worked for years with Soldiers in adaptive reconditioning, specifically adaptive sports, where she still loves to see that impact.
“It has a lifelong impact- many continue to stay active in those sports. And it’s so much bigger than just the sport. Seeing first-hand the growth, networking, and socialization, they make lifelong friends and contacts, even for jobs. The importance of these events should not be understated.”
Dr. Morris continues to make a difference for Soldiers in her new role. “I help ensure that our policy and guidance are formed and clear at the Army Recovery Care Program level and meet the end user's needs at the SRU level. I'm also a PT liaison for our adaptive reconditioning lead. I also get to help with events, which is awesome!”
She’s proud to be a woman who served and is often asked about it. Morris confidently tells them about her journey in hopes it will inspire. “I encourage anybody toying with the thought of joining the military to do it. The most amazing people I’ve met have been through the military. It’s a wonderful way to serve your country. It feels amazing to serve, and it feels amazing to connect with other service members, especially the strong servicemember women. I feel like women are carving out their roles and importance in the military, especially as leaders.”
Morris reflects on her twenty-year journey and shares she had no intention of staying in the Army. “I had no intention of serving more than my four years; I was just going to pay back my school requirement, but this opened up a whole new world for me. Twenty years later, I am now in a civilian career. They kept surprising me with cool new jobs, and I was like, yes, I want to stay. I always expressed my gratitude to the ARCP team up to the end of my military career, and now, to continue as a civilian, it doesn’t get any better.”
| Date Taken: | 11.19.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 11.25.2024 12:56 |
| Story ID: | 485649 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 31 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Women are carving out their roles and importance in the military, by MaryTherese Griffin, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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