{"id":76274,"date":"2025-11-04T08:43:52","date_gmt":"2025-11-04T15:43:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/?p=76274"},"modified":"2025-11-13T10:28:43","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T17:28:43","slug":"brady-veterans-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/brady-veterans-day\/","title":{"rendered":"How one veteran found her home, her future and herself"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Alicia Brady<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0had no idea what she was getting into when she enrolled in the biology program at NAU. She\u00a0wasn\u2019t\u00a0expecting mountains, forests and a generation of college students who are independent,\u00a0creative\u00a0and feel free to be themselves.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">After 18.5 years in the military,\u00a0the culture\u00a0shock was real, but beautiful.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cThe freedom for me to come out here and be the tree-hugging dirty hippie that I am is one of the best feelings in the world,\u201d Brady said. \u201cI was so happy.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-76286 alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wordpresst\/uploads\/sites\/153\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Brady-4.jpeg\" alt=\"Alicia Brady and another Navy corpsman on a ship\" width=\"285\" height=\"213\" srcset=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/402\/2025\/11\/Brady-4.jpeg 803w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/402\/2025\/11\/Brady-4-300x224.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/402\/2025\/11\/Brady-4-768x574.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 285px) 100vw, 285px\" \/>The college junior, who plans to go to physician assistant school when she graduates, found a home not just in Flagstaff\u00a0but at NAU\u2019s\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/veteran-and-military-services\/veteran-success-center\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Veterans Success Center<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. It supports about 1,200 military-connected students, half of whom are veterans, active duty, National Guard and Reserve members both in their virtual and in-person offices. They help with getting questions answered and paperwork completed but also with an on-campus space where students can feel at home. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cWhat has stood out to me in getting to know Alicia is her concern for others and her continued\u00a0commitment to serve,\u201d said director\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Pete Yanka<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. \u201cShe has a wide range of experiences and phenomenal insight into the veteran community. In my conversations with Alicia since I have known her,\u00a0I&#8217;ve\u00a0come to appreciate her perspective and commitment to the community and her strong commitment to service.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">As NAU prepares for Veterans Day, Brady shares what led her to the military, the global path that brought her to NAU and how\u00a0she\u2019s\u00a0turning those experiences into a place for women veterans to rediscover themselves.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Veterans Week Promo 2025\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rtqnnl6Y7cA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Finding her future<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Brady enlisted in the U.S. Navy when she was 21 years old. She planned to be an operations specialist. Instead, she\u00a0became\u00a0a hospital corpsman, providing medical support to Navy and Marine Corps personnel.\u00a0Her lengthy career started in critical care at a San Diego hospital and included deployments to Afghanistan,\u00a0on a U.S. destroyer in the Mediterranean\u00a0and with Seal Team Four and Seal Team Eight.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-76282\" src=\"http:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wordpresst\/uploads\/sites\/153\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Brady-1.jpeg\" alt=\"Alicia Brady in her Navy uniform\" width=\"161\" height=\"218\" srcset=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/402\/2025\/11\/Brady-1.jpeg 443w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/402\/2025\/11\/Brady-1-222x300.jpeg 222w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 161px) 100vw, 161px\" \/>She also went to independent duty corpsman school, which is\u00a0basically physician\u00a0assistant school condensed from\u00a024 months\u00a0into 13.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The work was hard, though\u00a0mixed\u00a0with travel, exploration, learning and making friends. Brady\u2019s time on the U.S.S. Barry was\u00a0hard work; she had 11 emergency evacuations in less than a year. She\u00a0also was\u00a0on a ship in the Mediterranean and got to explore\u00a0a variety of\u00a0countries.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cI don\u2019t think the general civilian population understands how hard people onboard ships work,\u201d she said. \u201cThey work 24\/7; there is no break. Lots of people\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0sleep for two to three days because the job\u00a0has to\u00a0get\u00a0done and\u00a0there\u2019s\u00a0no one else to do it. Supporting all the people on that ship medically was a rough job.\u201d<\/span> <span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Becoming a PA<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">With independent duty corpsman school, Brady was already on a good track for PA school. But while that gave her the skills and knowledge to know she could do the job, she had other, more personal reasons for choosing a career path in healthcare.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">One reason popped up when she made the choice to\u00a0medically retire. During her career, Brady\u00a0had multiple concussions\u00a0and\u00a0combat-related PTSD, then\u00a0COVID\u00a0hit, and \u201cCOVID was very rough in the military.\u201d The stress of her job, coupled with\u00a0previous\u00a0conditions, led to painful, repetitive\u00a0migraines\u00a0that\u00a0kept her from working at the level she wanted to.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cI\u2019m\u00a0getting\u00a0this degree because I want to learn about everything that I had to go through,\u201d she said. \u201cStress compounds the symptoms of both of my diagnoses. It made the symptoms so bad.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0not that I\u00a0couldn\u2019t\u00a0function at my job, but my time functioning was decreased.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">But it\u00a0wasn\u2019t\u00a0even her own medical\u00a0experiences.\u00a0She\u00a0had a defining moment that made her realize that medicine was her place.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-76283\" src=\"http:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wordpresst\/uploads\/sites\/153\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Brady-2.jpeg\" alt=\"Alicia Brady working on a patient\" width=\"242\" height=\"324\" srcset=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/402\/2025\/11\/Brady-2.jpeg 448w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/402\/2025\/11\/Brady-2-224x300.jpeg 224w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 242px) 100vw, 242px\" \/>It started when she was deployed with I Marine Expeditionary Force in rural Afghanistan. She was part of a team doing village medical outreach to the tribes, each run by its own village elder. While doing that work, she had a chance to observe a culture very different from her own and bond with Afghan women.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cNo one outside the village\u00a0is\u00a0allowed to come in because women are protected.\u00a0They\u2019re\u00a0not allowed to be seen by other men, but women could go in,\u201d she said. \u201cI got to go in and do\u00a0basically one-to-one\u00a0women\u2019s medicine for women living in a\u00a0developing\u00a0country. That was my favorite thing that I ever did on active duty.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The Flagstaff Women Veterans\u00a0Collective<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Brady got involved with the Veterans Success Center when she started school at NAU. After a couple of years, Yanka approached her with an idea: Would she lead her own outreach effort for student veterans?<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Brady\u00a0said maybe, then\u00a0went home and thought about it.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0hard to say what veterans need\u2014they\u2019re\u00a0a diverse group who had vastly different experiences before, during and after their time in the military.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cOne night on a full moon I was meditating\u2014as we do here in Flagstaff\u2014and all of a sudden it came to me,\u201d she said. \u201cI recharge and reset when\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0in the woods.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0my happy place;\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0what makes me feel calm, and it makes me feel like I can go back and address everything\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0going on in my life.\u00a0I love to do it, and\u00a0maybe other\u00a0people would love to do it.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0something\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0capable of doing that\u00a0wouldn\u2019t\u00a0stress me out or make me feel overwhelmed. I can handle doing it once a month.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/flagwomenvetscollective\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Flagstaff Women Veterans Collective<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, born under that full moon, came to fruition quickly.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0not just for students; Brady wanted it to be open to all women veterans. She wanted a place for mothers who needed some time to themselves and to offer a safe space for women who may have experienced sexual assault or harassment, which is drastically underreported in the military.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-76284 alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wordpresst\/uploads\/sites\/153\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Brady-3.jpeg\" alt=\"Alicia Brady climbing along a rock wall\" width=\"211\" height=\"281\" srcset=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/402\/2025\/11\/Brady-3.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/402\/2025\/11\/Brady-3-225x300.jpeg 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 211px) 100vw, 211px\" \/>\u201cIf I put women in a space where they understand that somebody else has had the same experience as them and they feel safe, they can actually let go and calm down,\u201d Brady said. \u201cIf I can give that space to them and that time to them once a month, and they know\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0there once a month\u2014you never know who\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0going to save and who\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0going to help with just that consistency.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cEven if\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0one person,\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0fine.\u00a0That\u2019s\u00a0one person\u00a0who\u2019s\u00a0resetting their central nervous system that month.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">That, in fact, is her measure of success: If she can help one veteran from going over the edge toward suicidality or a complete mental health break, then this is successful. Brady understands just how hard being in the military is and how hard being out of the military is. She wants her fellow veterans to know they can ask for help.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cI\u2019ve met so many veterans who have a stigma against getting mental health help,\u201d she said. \u201cI want the stigma to be erased.\u00a0There\u2019s\u00a0no one else in America\u00a0who\u2019s\u00a0had the same exposure.\u00a0There\u2019s\u00a0no reason to not try to reset your\u00a0brain.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/veteran-and-military-services\/vetsweek\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Join the Lumberjack community at events this weekend.<\/span><\/a><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Three veterans will speak at the Veterans Flag Tribute on Nov. 10. They are:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-76275\" src=\"http:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wordpresst\/uploads\/sites\/153\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Tierre-Bio-Pic-752x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Tierre Hazlewood headshot\" width=\"139\" height=\"189\" srcset=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/402\/2025\/11\/Tierre-Bio-Pic-752x1024.jpg 752w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/402\/2025\/11\/Tierre-Bio-Pic-220x300.jpg 220w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/402\/2025\/11\/Tierre-Bio-Pic-768x1046.jpg 768w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/402\/2025\/11\/Tierre-Bio-Pic.jpg 1029w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 139px) 100vw, 139px\" \/>Tierre Hazlewood<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0served 11 years in both the\u00a0U.S.\u00a0Air Force and the Louisiana Air National Guard. During this time, she completed a hardship tour in Osan, AB Korea, activated for multiple national disasters, along with a combat communication tour in Afghanistan.\u202fToday, she is completing her final year in NAU&#8217;s Clinical Mental Health Counseling program to fulfill her scholarship obligation at Vet\u00a0Centers\u00a0counseling service members\/veterans in underserved areas.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-76277\" src=\"http:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wordpresst\/uploads\/sites\/153\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Caniglia_Anthony_8132_20190718.jpg\" alt=\"Anthony Caniglia headshot\" width=\"143\" height=\"189\" srcset=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/402\/2025\/11\/Caniglia_Anthony_8132_20190718.jpg 400w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/402\/2025\/11\/Caniglia_Anthony_8132_20190718-228x300.jpg 228w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 143px) 100vw, 143px\" \/>Anthony Caniglia is an advocate for veterans and community initiatives, committed to building programs that make a lasting impact. Through his work with organizations like the Nation of Patriots and the Arizona Elks Association,\u00a0he\u2019s\u00a0helped create meaningful opportunities for service and support. He believes in leading with integrity,\u00a0collaboration\u00a0and purpose.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-76278\" src=\"http:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wordpresst\/uploads\/sites\/153\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Tom-GGC-MOAA-May-2025.jpg\" alt=\"Tom Waddell standing in front of trees\" width=\"141\" height=\"188\" srcset=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/402\/2025\/11\/Tom-GGC-MOAA-May-2025.jpg 400w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/402\/2025\/11\/Tom-GGC-MOAA-May-2025-225x300.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 141px) 100vw, 141px\" \/>A former commander of AFROTC Detachment 027 at Northern Arizona University, Col.\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Tom\u00a0Waddell\u2019s<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0leadership earned the detachment the 1994 Right of Line Award as the best in the nation. Today, he continues to serve the Flagstaff veteran community as\u00a0president of the Grand Canyon Chapter, Military Officers Association of America.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><a class=\"search-results-excerpt-link\" href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/brady-veterans-day\/\">Alicia Brady\u00a0had no idea what she was getting into when she enrolled in the biology program at NAU. She\u00a0wasn\u2019t\u00a0expecting mountains, forests and a generation of college students who are independent,\u00a0creative\u00a0and feel free to be themselves.\u00a0 After 18.5 years in the military,\u00a0the culture\u00a0shock was real, but beautiful.\u00a0 \u201cThe freedom for me to come out here and&hellip;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":76285,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-76274","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus-community"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76274","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/59"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76274"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76274\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76285"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76274"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76274"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76274"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}