Hey there, listeners, it's the StoryCorps podcast from NPR.
I'm Jasmine Morris.
We'll be returning in full force soon, but until then, we've got another story from our Military Voices Initiative, which records the stories of service members and their families.
Alex Ortiz volunteers helping veterans in Puerto Rico adjust back to civilian life.
He served in the Army himself, deploying to both Iraq and Afghanistan, before injuries forced him to retire in 2013.
His wife, Lixani, had never been close to a veteran before they met and wasn't always prepared for what their life together would be like.
What do you remember most about when we met?
I think it would be your eyes, because I remember staring at you and you wondering why I was looking at you so much.
And I kept telling you that I needed to remember your faith.
And you not only wanted to get to know me, but my son, Brian.
So that's what set you apart and put you in the front of the line.
You know, when I left the military, I felt like I was lost and I needed to reset my life and figure out how can I feel useful again.
And when I first met you, it was almost like I could travel to the future and see that everything was going to be okay.
What do you want people to know about being a spouse of a veteran?
So our community has these really big mango trees And I remember you were driving the car And a mango fell on our car When that mango hit that glass It was so loud You extended your right arm right into my chest I know I was trying to keep you safe You stopped the car Stopped it so fast And I screamed
at you like, what are you doing?
Go. You're like, I think a mango just fell on our car.
But it took me back to when there was bombs happening around us.
It's hard to explain until you've lived it, but I still reacted how I was trained to.
Those quick reactions make me feel safe.
Like I'm still competent enough to protect my family.
I think my family does too.
When Hurricane Maria happened in 2017, my sister kept saying, oh, she should be okay.
Alex is a military guy.
He's like MacGyver.
It's something that's been embedded into your DNA.
Military life is for you because you talk about it all the time.
I mean, you'll go down a rabbit hole and never stop.
Recently, we had issues because you're so devoted to helping veterans that it's affected our relationship.
I think that's a perfect example because it creates a tunnel vision, but I only have limited time.
You know, you guys are the foundation of what I'm building my life upon.
I just hope that I can always not only be there for you, but for the kids too.
That was Sergeant Alex Ortiz speaking with his wife Lixani in MyWays, Puerto Rico.
Sergeant Ortiz is currently in law school so he can further support veterans on the island.
We always end an episode by asking you to call our voicemail and leave us your answer to a specific question.
So here it is. Do you have any skills you've held onto from a previous life?
Tell us that story in a voicemail.
It's 702 -706 -TALK. That's 702 -706 -TALK.
And you might hear yourself on a future episode.
This story was produced by Joe Corona and Von Diaz.
Amy Drozdovska is our executive producer, Max Youngrice is our producer, and Judd S .D.
Kendall is our senior producer.
Our technical director is Jared Floyd.
Special thanks to Justin Cummins.
I'm Jasmine Morris.
For the StoryCorps Podcast, thanks for listening.
Support for this podcast comes from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.
Thank you.
