VETERAN CONTINUES JOURNEY ROOTED IN SERVICE

Lindsay Porter ’23 wasn’t sure what she wanted to do when she graduated high school in her hometown of Philo. She grew up around a family of service members, so she chose to join the US Navy.

“I remember going with my family when my older brother left for the Air Force and seeing the blue camouflage of the Navy uniforms next door. I liked that and thought ‘I am interested,’” Lindsay recalled jokingly. “So, unlike the rest of my Air Force family, I decided to join the Navy because they had blue uniforms.

“Of course, when I talked to recruiters and started looking into the Navy, it did have a lot of good jobs. I also liked the idea of deployments and getting to go to a lot of different places, which I did get to do.”

Lindsay served six years in active duty and two years in the reserves. She started out in the nuclear engineering program, became a rated electronics technician, but did not finish the program. She became a boatswain's mate and went to her first ship where she got to pre-commission the USS Gerald R. Ford. She then went to work on the USS Kearsarge, an LHD (landing helicopter dock) amphibious assault ship. There she focused on search and rescue boats taking the marines in and out the back of the ship and became a petty officer in charge of anchoring, mooring and towing, and replenishment of resources.

“During that time, I studied and kept my head in the books and became an E5,” Lindsay said. “It was fun to be in charge of all those operations.” Lindsay spent three months in Puerto Rico for hurricane support and then went overseas on deployments to Greece and throughout the Middle East, getting to experience many different cultures while serving the Navy. While on deployment, she decided she was ready to go to school; however, on a ship in the middle of the ocean, she didn’t have internet access to apply to college. She planned to get out of the Navy in July 2019 and with college starting a month later, she solicited help from her aunt, who worked at Muskingum, via email.

“I originally planned to study chemistry,” Lindsay said. “But I had a cousin in nursing who encouraged me to check out the program. She connected me with people in the department to help me apply.

“Everyone was so helpful with me getting my application in, especially since I had little access to email. They kept me updated throughout the process and worked with me for Muskie Preview,” Lindsay said. “They were like, ‘Don’t worry, we got you. We will take care of that.’”

Lindsay wasn’t sure how the process worked as a veteran and how to take advantage of her veteran benefits. “This campus makes it super easy being a veteran. From day one, the Financial Aid Office completed all the paperwork, and all I had to do was sign. They took care of the GI Bill setting it up every semester, and now all I have to do is verify my classes each semester.

“While it was easy to go through the process, having a Veterans Services Office and one single point of contact for questions is helpful. Having someone that is in the loop understanding all the rules and changes is valuable,” Lindsay said. “It also is nice to have a designated area for veterans to come together.”

Being a 24-year-old nontraditional undergraduate student was challenging at first. But, Lindsay’s cousin, who was in her third year, encouraged her to explore Greek life, letting her know there is a place for everybody. Lindsay went to the informal recruitment events and the formal recruitment, and then joined Alpha Sigma Alpha. “It was a lot of fun being involved in campus,” Lindsay said. “I had a big fear of not fitting in because I was older and had different life experiences, but everyone was like it’s no big deal. It has been great because I have friends across campus that I never would have had if I had not stepped out of that boundary and seen what the campus had to offer.”

As part of her veteran support, she has a residence on campus, which allows her to stay on campus and connect with fellow students. It also allowed her to work in the local community.

According to Lindsay, everybody on the Navy ship is a firefighter and during her time in the service, she got her advanced firefighting certification. When she left the Navy, she missed the comradery, so she joined the local fire department. During her time there, she got her EMT certification and then went on to get her advanced EMT. She then used a grant to get her Fire 1 card and then went on to get her Fire 2 card during her junior year of college.

She applied for and became a paid EMS in New Concord. This gave her the comradery she was missing and allowed her to continue serving in the community. As for her time at Muskingum, “I fit in a whole lot more than I expected to being a nontraditional student in a traditional way, and I had so much fun here,” Lindsay said. “Muskingum also has taught me critical thinking in solving problems and challenges, and the nursing program has prepared me for all aspects of my life.

“As for my plans, I look forward to starting my nursing career as an RN with OhioHealth at Riverside Methodist Hospital in the Emergency Department. I also want to continue to serve the community and continue to give back.”