Olivia Nunn knew from a young age that she would join the Army one day; her father had been a combat engineer. She planned to attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, but low test scores in math prevented her admission. Nunn’s parents supported her decision to join the military, but they insisted that she receive an education and become an officer, so she enrolled at Radford University in Virginia and joined the school’s Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program.

After college, Nunn wanted to become an armor officer and be part of a tank crew, but when she joined the Army in 2001, women weren’t allowed to fill certain roles in the military. Instead, she spent a decade as a Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Officer in the Chemical Corps and served multiple tours of duty in Iraq before moving into public affairs. For several years, she helped to produce the Army’s Soldier for Life podcast and eventually hosted the program.

“It looks easy, it looks glamorous,” Nunn says of podcasting, “but the truth is there’s a lot of work that goes into it.”

Nunn spent a total of 20 years in the Army and recently retired. Afterward, she became a communications consultant and a beauty queen.

“Your identity is wrapped up in your uniform,” Nunn says, “whether you do it for two years or 20 years.”

While she was still on active duty, Nunn suffered a mental health crisis and contemplated suicide. In this episode of Borne the Battle, she opens up about her experience and talks about how she found the help she needed, the challenges of transitioning from soldier to civilian and the need for better mental health resources for military personnel.

Borne the Battle Veteran of the Week:

• Army Veteran Barney F. Hajiro

EXTRA LINKS

• Official Army Soldier for Life site – https://soldierforlife.army.mil/