Writing teachers are always trying to get their students to start their stories as close to the action as possible. So it may seem counter-intuitive that we choose to begin a series about coming home from war with a veteran who never left the states during her enlistment, but here’s why we think Specialist Kelli Hewlett is the perfect introduction to this collection:
Civilian America doesn’t experience war except through it’s aftermath; through documentation, stories, and the chance encounter with veterans. As an Army nurse in-training at Walter Reed Hospital, Kelli experienced the wars through their casualties, but unlike a civilian, she couldn’t look away. Her duty mandated that she face the most jarring and horrific injuries–physical and psychological–suffered in conflict head-on while caring for those wounds, and the guilt, self-doubt, and confusion she stuffed down in doing so echo the discomfort felt by many Americans at their relationship with their all-volunteer armed forces.
Kelli was never in a firefight, or targeted by mortars, or blown up by an IED, but she was witness to the echos of all that and more, and so we start with her and her story, “Beyond the Lines,” in Episode 1 of Incoming.
Kelli Hewlett is a Registered Nurse finishing her Bachelor’s degree in nursing at San Diego State University. She was born into a military family at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, where she started her own army career 18 years later. She got her start in health care as a Licensed Practical Nurse and fell in love with the profession and efforts to assist the public. For her work in aiding the community she has received a Certificate of Recognition from California State Senator Joel Anderson.
You must be logged in to post a comment.