For more than 18 years, Anika Miller served in the US Air Force as a transporter. She originally entered the military in an electronics specialty, but early in her career she experienced a traumatic event during technical school. At just 18 years old, she didn’t feel safe sharing what had happened. “I thought they were going to kick me out of the military or damage my career,” she said. “So, I never shared it with anyone.”
That unspoken trauma followed her for years. She completed her service, retired, married, and became a mother—but the unresolved pain stayed with her. She found herself struggling with trust in her marriage and carrying what she described as “this dark cloud that followed me.”
She didn’t know where to turn or what steps to take until she connected with a coach at VA Claims Insider. “My coach made me aware of buddy letters, and I had no idea about it,” she explained. “When you call the VA for assistance, they don’t let you know what you need to do. No one was sharing with me what I needed to do in order to get my claim resolved in my favor.”
Facing that next step meant confronting the past. She reached out to people who had been present during the trauma she endured in tech school and, for the first time, allowed herself to speak openly about what had happened. It also opened the door for honest conversations at home. “I was able to share with my husband those issues that traumatized me, and it helped me move forward in my life,” she said.
After her claim was awarded, Anika pursued counseling and therapy. The impact on her family life was immediate and meaningful. “It’s allowed me and my husband to have a better
relationship in our marriage, a better relationship with my children,” she shared. “I’m able to be a better mother, a better wife.”
Looking back, she describes the change in simple terms: “It was a heavy load I carried for so long…now it’s like this 500-pound weight that was taken off me.”
Anika hopes her story encourages other veterans who feel alone with their experiences. “I pray that my story can help others,” she said. “Because you don’t have to bear it forever.”
