They Met in the Army. Then Came the Hardest Years | Donna & Charlie Simko

Donna and Charlie Simko remember meeting at Fort Campbell a little differently. Charlie remembers coming home from deployment and meeting Donna in the platoon. Donna remembers her 21st birthday and Charlie being the one who got her to the hospital when she needed help. In The MisFitNation’s Veterans Week finale, they tell Rich LaMonica both versions of that first meeting and share what it took to keep showing up for each other in the years that followed.

Both served as U.S. Army Military Police, but military life looked different depending on who was home and who was away. Donna talks about the lasting effects of injuries and sexual harassment during her service, losing their daughter Harper at 30 weeks after a triploidy diagnosis, and welcoming their daughter Raegan while Charlie was deployed overseas. She also shares one of the details that stayed with her after Harper’s death. They had time to take photographs with their daughter before saying goodbye.

Charlie describes going straight into problem-solving mode during a crisis, making sure everyone else is okay before dealing with what he’s feeling. He also talks about medically retiring after nearly 11 years in the Army and discovering what he liked about building custom cabinets, from figuring out a difficult project to seeing the finished work.

The episode closes with a Veterans Week gratitude check. Donna talks about the people at work who give her flexibility when her family needs her. Charlie talks about the men he chooses to keep close. Both share how a deeper faith has brought them closer.

Follow The MisFitNation on Spotify or Apple Podcasts for more conversations with veterans and military families. If this episode brings someone to mind, send it to them and check in.

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