School of Social Work, University of Illinois > Stories > Alumni > Honoring Those Who Served: Julie Muñoz-Nájar

Honoring Those Who Served: Julie Muñoz-Nájar, MSW '08

In the days leading up to Veterans Day 2019, we will highlight School of Social Work alumni, faculty and students who are veterans, those who have served in the military, and those whose current practice serves the needs of veterans. Thank you to all for your dedicated service.

    1. What branch of service did you serve in?

      I was in the Illinois Air National Guard, which is a part of the US Air Force.

    2. What got you through basic training?

      Thursdays. That’s when the chow hall served vegetarian lasagna – that I had to consume in 2.2 minutes.  In all seriousness, I had an amazing boyfriend (now husband) and mother (still my mom) who wrote to me every day.  I wanted to hear about the mundane things going on in their lives just to have some normalcy during basic.

    3. Where were you stationed while in the service?

      I was primarily stationed in Springfield, IL and did drill service once a month.  During my six and a half years, I had great opportunities to travel to several US states, to Italy, Germany and England for training and was also deployed to United Arab Emirates during the OEF/OIF conflict.

    4. Can you describe your experience of military culture in one word?

      Growth.

    5. What are some recommendations that you would give to our fellow social workers who are providing services to former or current military personnel?

      I would recommend that they take the time to learn the military lingo.  Ask questions when a Vet uses an acronym so you can better understand their experience because you may lose a lot of context if you don’t know what that acronym really means.  There are good CEU courses that help you learn the lingo and culture of all the branches, which are quite different.

    6. If applicable, what did you go on to do as a career after your service?

      I finished my military contract shortly after I came back from deployment.  The day after my C-130 landed back in the states, I was sitting in my MSW classes, which was a total whirlwind of transition back to civilian life.  Most recently, I have had the pleasure of working here at the SSW as a Clinical Assistant Professor helping some amazing students explore their career goals through the field office.  I’ve had an eclectic career since my MSW graduation working on start-up projects focused on community engagement and advocacy.

    7. How did your service and experiences affect your life?

      One of my biggest takeaways was learning how to be a leader in a male dominated world.  Comradery is so cliché, but so incredibly true as you learn to live, sleep, work, repeat, in very stressful situations together 24/7. You learn a lot about yourself and about your fellow humans who are all trying to get through this life too.

    8. How has your service and experiences intersected with your role as a social worker?

      I came from a community where there was very little diversity of all forms.  Being in the military is like moving to a cosmopolitan community overnight and being asked to not just tolerate each other but work in harmony.  Those learning opportunities with my fellow comrades taught me that this world is much bigger than I imagined, but we are all one kind – humankind.

    9. Do you have a memory that you want to share?

      While I was at basic, we were doing tactical drills to maneuver through various structures using hand signals to communicate to our teammate about how and where to move to avoid being seen by our drill sergeants. During one of the drills, I was leading our group to a new location and I laid down on a small hill to get a better view.  Within seconds, I realized I had landed in a massive Texas red anthill and they immediately started stinging me on my arms and hands. Needless to say, my fellow airmen were very confused on which hand gestures I was making.  Mother Nature had a different “drill” she wanted to play that day.

    10. Is there anything you wish others knew about military service that you wish more people understood?

      When starting a conversation with someone who identifies as a Veteran, try asking an open-ended question like this question, #2 or #7 vs the common one, “Where did you serve?”.  The open-ended questions lead to better understanding, engagement and awareness of their lived-experience in the military, which in turn leads to better advocacy on all of our parts.

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