Despite the fact that Diana Treviño grew up with a father who had served in the Navy for 32.5 years, the thought never occurred to her to join the military until after she graduated from high school. After fumbling through college and having odd jobs, the realization came to her after having a conversation with a co-worker who mentioned that he had recently joined the Air Force. She thought, “I should do that!”
Diana completed her basic training in 1986 at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, and ended up serving in the Air Force for 26 years. She worked her way up and eventually retired as a Senior Master Sergeant. Her active duty history includes the Gulf War, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom. Throughout those 26 years, Diana served in multiple high profile assignments at the White House, National Security Council, the Offices of two Secretaries of Defense, State Department, and the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. She endured many lateral promotions throughout her career. By Diana’s 13th year in the Air Force, she held 13 different jobs.
It wasn’t until Diana joined the Air Force that she felt a stronger connection to her father. She finally understood all of the lessons that he had tried teaching her over the years.
Throughout Diana’s time in the Air Force, she developed Post-Traumatic Stress as well as Grave’s Disease. Her conditions continued to worsen until she was finally retired in 2012 due to her health and upon reaching her high-year tenure.
Diana’s transition back to civilian life included moving to Knoxville, Tennessee, in order to be closer to her two adult children and three new grandchildren. The greatest highlight for Diana that came with civilian life was the ability to be present with her children. However, she encountered many difficulties along the way. The day-to-day challenges that she deals with involve her executive functioning: difficulty forming words or sentences, becoming easily overwhelmed, experiencing bouts of physical weakness, and feeling persistent dizziness. It takes her days to prepare for leaving the house in order to run errands or attend doctor appointments.
Purple Heart Homes will be assisting Diana with repairs to her plumbing, kitchen ceiling and cabinets, hallways, bathrooms, and electrical system. When asked what this intervention means to Diana, she can’t hold back the tears in her eyes. She explains, “I want so badly to see the light at the end of the tunnel. These housing repairs have been an itch that I never could scratch. The patience and understanding coming from Purple Heart Homes means so much to me. Having this help will be a euphoric and uplifting blessing.”
The service and sacrifice that you’ve endured mean so much to us, Diana. Thank you for everything that you’ve done for our country. Welcome to the Purple Heart Homes family!
