Douglas Shreve

A Lifetime of Service

I was born in Oceanside, New York, on Long Island, and I was raised there and throughout the United States because my father was in the Army. Growing up, it was my mom, dad, and my two brothers. Besides my father, two of my uncles served in Vietnam, and one served in World War II.

My family moved to Oklahoma City, where I finished high school in 1995. I joined the Army right after high school, and my first duty station was in Korea with the 2nd Infantry Division. I joined because my father, my uncles, and my grandfather served, and I also wanted a change and wanted to travel, so I enlisted. I ended up doing a full twenty years—it flew by.

Combat Service and Sacrifice

During my time in uniform, I deployed to Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. I was wounded in Iraq on November 21, 2003, by an anti-tank landmine. It exploded beneath the seat of the truck I was riding in. As a result of the injuries I sustained that day, I was awarded the Purple Heart.

Both in Iraq and Afghanistan, we lost people, and I knew many of them personally. The losses that affected me the most were the soldiers I had spoken with before they went out on a mission and who never came back. Those moments stay with you forever.

Reflections on Service

I am proud of my service to our country, but I am also torn because of the way we were pulled out and left. The countries are no better today; if anything, they are a little worse than when we got there. Despite those feelings, I remain proud of having served alongside so many dedicated men and women throughout my career.

Life After the Army

I retired from the Army in 2016 after twenty years of service. Today, I live with my wife and our two Labrador Retrievers. We have three grown children and two grandchildren who live in Oklahoma, and spending time with family has become one of the greatest blessings of life after military service.