Branch served: U.S. Army, 6 years of service
Jani Western remembers seeing a woman driving a Jeep Wrangler with the top and doors off, wearing an Army uniform. She thought the woman was cool. More than that, she saw someone she wanted to become.
Western eventually wore the uniform herself, serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Today, she is studying how military experiences shape the people who come home.
A doctoral student in experimental psychology at North Dakota State University, Western wants to better understand how veterans make sense of their experiences and navigate life after service. Her work grows out of her own transition, along with a recognition that every veteran brings a different history to that process.
“Everybody has a story. Everybody has a past. Everybody’s dealing with something,” Western said.
A Path Through the Army
Born in Devils Lake, Western moved to Fargo around age 6. She attended Fargo North High School before dropping out, earned her GED, and joined the active-duty Army at 20. Coming from a childhood she described as uncertain, she wanted to make something of herself.
She served approximately six years, with duty stations at Fort Campbell, KY, and Fort Hood, TX. Her deployments took her to Iraq in 2005–2006 and Afghanistan in 2010–2011. After leaving active duty following her first deployment, she later reenlisted while raising a young child.
Her experience in the Army was complicated. She formed relationships with people she remains in contact with, learned the value of structure and teamwork, and developed an insistence on getting the job done. She also described the difficulty of serving as one of very few women in her platoon, feeling pressure to exceed male standards while being pushed down at the same time.
