"Paying debt was worth the risk"

Even if she has to learn to live with PTSD, Whanja is optimistic about her road ahead. “I see my future being productive, moving beyond this experience and taking from it the positive things,” she says. 

She admits she had to pay a high price for putting her personal finances in order, which was her goal when she joined the Army. She still believes that paying her financial debt was worth the risks of two wars, even if the exhaustion slows her down now. “I had no idea, that the sacrifice should be so great. But overall it was worth it. I can go whatever direction I want to go to, because I made a very hard sacrifice to liberate myself from credit.”

Whanja believes her faith has also helped her recover. “It took God and miracles for me to survive what I have survived.” 

Now, Whanja is looking forward to the education benefits in the Post 9/11 GI Bill. She is determined to complete a master’s degree in a film academy. She is also studying to be a certified life coach. She believes her experience can benefit in both these new areas of her life. “I am continuing to better myself and help people and do everything I can to maintain balance in my life.”