Havasu veterans | Leslie Weber: Military service was life-changing experience, in more ways than one

“I got to do something exciting right out of high school and it wasn’t because I was stupid, but because I wanted to do something different,” Weber said.

The 41-year-old veteran recognizes the opportunities that were granted to her during her time in the Army. She was able to receive a college degree as well as training for her firefighter position.

“I’m intelligent. I’m well-spoken. I’m well-read,” Weber continued. “I got a lot of experience out of it that I would’ve never got from a civilian job right out of high school.”

Weber decided to join the military because her father served as well as her Uncle Paul, who was killed while serving in the Vietnam War. Due to her ability to freely attend school in the U.S., Weber was moved to serve her country because of the sense of pride she felt towards her homeland. The oppression that Weber witnessed happening to women in other countries also affected her choice to enlist.

“Like, the apartheid in Africa and Lebanon. To see all this stuff going on around the world especially at that time,” Weber continued. “We had our first Gulf War and it makes you appreciate where you live and where you’re from and if you have the capability of serving, do it.”

The money aspect of the military was not a huge factor for Weber. She knew based on the low wages that her duty in the military meant more than her monthly pay.

“I joined for schooling and to get away. I was young and I had the capability to serve my country while seeing foreign countries,” Weber said. “Nobody else is going to pay for me to go travel to different countries without paying for it.”

Countries like Germany, Spain, France and Italy were amongst the places Weber was able to travel to during her time in the Army.

On Nov. 11, 1999, Weber shipped out to basic training. She remembers the date exactly because it fell on Veterans Day. Weber adds that her class was the first female class that was allowed to train at her assigned post.

“I left and I went to Fort Sill, Oklahoma,” Weber said. “They were an all-male basic training [post] up until my class which was the very first one.”

After Fort Sill, Weber completed training at an Advanced Individual Training school at an Air Force base in Texas. She was then stationed at Fort Rucker, Alabama and received her Secondary Skills Identifier training at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

In Texas, Weber received training for a combat medic position but states she mainly performed her duties as a firefighter. She then returned to Fort Rucker before being stationed at Fort Polk, Louisiana.

“Fort Polk is a shithole. It’s an awful post,” Weber recounted. “They used it for the Vietnam and Korean War training and there’s still punji sticks like the sticks with the points.”

Despite the unpleasant surroundings at Fort Polk, Weber remembers a day when an unpredictable event occurred. When the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated upon re-entry in early 2003, pieces from the shuttle were found not only in Texas, but also at Folk Polk. Weber’s husband at that time was in charge of guarding a piece of debris that landed at the post.

“As the fire department, we were in charge of going out there and making sure nothing was on fire,” Weber said. “It was a crazy experience.”

Based on when Weber joined the Army, she fell in-between several different wars.

“I fell in the Persian Gulf War era, the Afghanistan era and the Iraq era,” Weber said. “I went in before 9/11 and then I served after 9/11. It’s a little hard to talk about.”

During Weber’s service in the states, an almost-fatal injury eventually led the veteran to leave the military altogether. The incident occurred when Weber was working on a tire fire at night. She remembers the smoke from the fire being very thick and black which hindered her eyesight.

“I was up on top of what’s called a P19 fire truck. It’s a huge fire truck,” Weber said. “It’s an aircraft rescue truck like the big ones you see at the airport.”

The set-up for the fire truck required Weber to add in an additive to one of the foam tanks that was on the truck. Due to her limited vision, Weber’s foot became stuck under a rung that is used to open up the hatch. Weber remembers turning her body in one direction but being moved into the opposite direction which led her to fall from the top of the truck.

“I broke my neck and my back. I blew out both my knees and messed both ankles up,” Weber said. “I basically landed on my head and I had a compression fracture in my spine. It was gnarly.”

The severe injury Weber suffered prompted her to receive continuous rehab and physical therapy services.

“I didn’t even know it but I was pregnant at the time so that was really scary,” Weber added. “I finished my service while pregnant, had my son and then got out of the military.”

Weber had plans of staying in the military and making a career out of her time there before sustaining her life-changing injuries. The incident led Weber back to Fort Rucker where she started working for a command sergeant major of Army Aviation.

Near the end of 2003, Weber officially left the military. Over the last 17 years, the veteran has undergone about 40 surgeries. She notes how she experiences a lot of pain now due to the vast amount of operations she has had.

“I’ve had multiple injections and procedures and things to make my back and neck better and nothing ever works,” Weber said. “I tore an ACL and a PCL in my knee. Then, I had ankle surgery where you can actually see the scar.”

A moment that Weber cherishes is from November of 2000 when her grandmother suffered a stroke and was passing away. The veteran’s parents wanted her to fly home to San Diego to see her grandmother. They made a request for Weber to wear her flight suit but she told them she had to wear civilian clothing based on rules set by the Army.

After Weber arrived at Lindbergh Field, now known as San Diego International Airport, she changed her clothing. She remembers forgoing socks since she could not find a pair. Weber then walked into the hospital wearing her flight suit, beret and army boots. The veteran garnered many looks from those she walked by based on how young she looked while in uniform.

“My grandma wasn’t able to have too much facial function and I walked in and she made herself smile,” Weber recounted. “Then, she kept mouthing. She was still able to write, she just couldn’t talk.”

Weber’s grandmother wrote on a whiteboard about how proud she was of her granddaughter and how proud she made her feel.

“That was a really pivotal moment to me and my time in the military,” Weber said. “Everything else didn’t compare to that one moment in time when my grandma, who was like a second mom to me, told me she was proud of me.”

Thinking back on her time in the Army, Weber shows gratitude for the opportunities that were presented to her. The stability she found while enlisted helped her during the rough times of her military experience.

“I was able to get out [of my environment] and do something with my life at such a young age,” Weber continued. “That was a big motivator to keep going.”

Since relocating to Lake Havasu City almost seven years ago, Weber spends her time golfing, taking care of her two Dachshund puppies and relaxing at home with her boyfriend who is also an Army veteran.

Weber credits the military for shaping her into a stronger person since she thinks of herself as a naturally strong-willed person.

“[The military] made me see right from wrong outside of morals,” Weber said. “As an 18 or 19 year old, you really get to kind of see the world for what it is.”

The veteran thinks of the military as a way for people to become better versions of themselves. Weber adds that it gives people belief in themselves and in their abilities to perform difficult tasks.

“You really get to know yourself and who you are as a person and the kind of grit you have as a person,” Weber said. “It’s 10 percent physical and 90 percent mental. Like, anything you do in life.”