Years Later 10


A ground zero worker displays his tattoo inspired by the cross of steel beams discovered at the site.


[ WOMEN’S SACRIFICE ] When Moms B Any ABy Andy Steiner A


NGELA AMUNDSON, A MOTH- er of two from Minnesota, noticed that little things were bothering her way too much. Getting the kids to clean up their room or balancing work and family duties felt overwhelming. “I wasn’t always as patient as I should’ve been,” she confesses to Newsmax. Amundson can be forgiven her short fuse. Just 18 months ago she was fi ghting America’s enemies in Iraq as a master sergeant in the 34th Infantry Division of the Minnesota National Guard. Upon her return home last year she faced a second battle: adjusting from war to being the primary caregiver for her family. “I thought now that I was back home with my kids and family, things should be easy,” she says. “When I was in Iraq, I had a lot of responsibilities . . . but it felt more manageable there. When you tell a soldier to do something, they do it right away. Getting a kid to clean her room is a different story.”


Fortunately, Amundson had a support group nearby to help her. “What helped most for me was seeing the other people I served with and talking with them about the little things that feel strange about coming home. Not everybody can understand what a soldier goes through when they make the transition home. But they can, because they’re going through it, too.”


With the Obama administration’s plans to wind down the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, an army of soldier-moms like Amundson will soon be marching home. America’s female warriors encounter the same adjustment hurdles that await


78 9|11: A DECADE LATER / NEWSMAX / SEPTEMBER 2011


every soldier: post-traumatic stress syndrome, recovery from physical wounds, and a sense of alienation in their everyday lives. But they have a more far-reaching impact on society. As women and mothers, they play an essential, irreplaceable role in the development of their families.


Amundson was able to connect with other members of her battalion through


the Minnesota Army


National Guard’s Beyond the Yellow Ribbon — a reintegration initiative designed to help service members and their families ease through the transition home.


TATTOO/MIKE ALBANS/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS ARCHIVE/GETTY IMAGES SOLDIER/CHUNG SUNG-JUN/GETTY IMAGES


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