Elizabeth O’Herrin

Air Force

Johns Hopkins University

M.A., Government

“People like to talk about problems, but I think that there is strength through trauma.”

Liz was scheduled to enlist in the National Guard on Sept 10th 2001, but was asked to come back to sign in the next day. When she woke up on Sept 11th, she had two choices; back out of enlisting out or follow through. She chose courage over cowardice and ended up serving for 7 years.

When newspapers and media speculated the lack of resources for returning vets, Liz experienced it firsthand. “I expected my deployment to be hard, but nobody said coming home would be hard – and it was. It blew me away.”

Liz has devoted herself to tackling transitioning issues that veterans face. She was among the group that actively fought for the new legislation of the Post-911 GI bill that provided better educational support for veterans. Having earned her Masters degree, Liz now serves as the Director of Programs for the Pat Tillman Foundation.