Petty Officer Third Class Kimberly Yantis, U.S. Navy: Deploying on USS Boxer – “You Call, We Haul”
Every servicemember knows the GI Bill is a great way to help pay for an education. The benefits, however, are hard earned, sometimes involving long periods away from home and even deployments into harm’s way. Such was the case with Petty Officer Third Class Kimberly Yantis, U.S. Navy, who enlisted with a goal of using the GI Bill to help pay for her bachelor’s degree. She earned her benefits by participating in two deployments supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom and one to the Western Pacific, all the time working in extremely dangerous conditions on her ship’s flight deck. Now she channels her experience into her lifelong passion of helping veterans and their families in Central Illinois.