THREE QUESTIONS FOR
Linsey Servin

Tell us about your military service history

That answer is kind of complicated. I joined the Army when I was 17, five days after I graduated from high school. I was on active duty for three years, and then I was part of the Individual Ready Reserves for two years. After that, I joined the Navy Reserves, which I loved. So I decided I should join the Navy on active duty. After a deployment with the Navy Reserves, I went to sign up for active duty with the Navy but it was going to take a while because they wanted me to finish out my reserve contract with them. The Army recruiter was right next door and he said, “We can have you in 2 weeks.” So I went back to the active duty Army in 2007, and I served another 10 years. I left active duty in 2017 and am now in the Army Reserves.

What would you want those who haven’t experienced it to know about the veteran experience?

[Leaving the military] is like coming out of a lifestyle, so to speak. And sometimes when people come out of that lifestyle, there's a transition period. It takes some time to get to where you feel like you're you, and that you have a purpose again. A lot of times I feel like it's easier for veterans to understand other veterans because they've been in that situation. You've been where that person has been. Even if you haven't been literally to the same places, you've been in the lifestyle. 

But it’s also your family that keeps you grounded. You don't just serve by yourself. Your family serves with you, and your friends. Because when you're gone they feel it, too. When I’m gone, my husband is taking care of the kids. My husband is taking care of the house.

What, from your experience in the military, do you bring to your work at Berkeley Lab?

Since I joined so young I feel like I've grown up in it. A lot of my work ethic and values and a lot of things that make me “me” are rooted in what I learned in the military. But definitely, my feeling of working hard and working for what you want to do, and how to work with people of different personalities, different backgrounds, and different values came out of my service experience.

I think I bring the whole teamwork aspect, knowing that it's not just yourself working towards a common goal. You learn that you have teammates that you can rely on and that everybody's working towards that same goal. Being that teammate that people can rely on, but then, also, knowing that you can rely on your team.

What does Veterans Day mean to you?

Veterans Day is a day of appreciation. Whenever we go somewhere in uniform we will hear, “Thank you for your service.” But I feel like Veterans Day is a day that kind of just encompasses all of those thank yous into a whole day. I like knowing that there's a day that actually is set aside for people who have served.

Are you a veteran or supporter of veterans? The Veterans Employee Resource Group is open to all employees, veteran or civilian.