Army Fatigues to Hollywood Glamour

Knowing each other since 2011, Arlyn and Sharika share their thoughts of how small the world is, especially in the Army Nurse Corp! Arlyn was serving as a Brigade Nurse Counselor when life hit her unexpectedly. Her husband’s position in the Army was not able to accommodate their travel plans with her military career, so she chose the hard road to accept a different duty station with the anticipation of where her husband would be sent for his impending fellowship. Fast forwarding to her terminal leave down the line, Arlyn decided to take her time to attend some family engagements. Filling out an DA31 for accountability, she needed to scope out the nearest hospital to her vacation destination in Mexico. During this time, a large fire accident happened at a wedding she was attending. Unfortunately, Arlyn was hit with the fire in a matter of seconds, suffering third degree and second degree burns. 

Luckily, all of the information she filled out in her DA31 was helpful to cover her bases, although she needed to be treated out of country in Mexico. She quickly learned the medical care facilities overseas are vastly different in how they can handle situations versus in the United States. Arlyn notified her chain of command as soon as she could and informed her Tricare representative to notify them what had happened. 

She requested someone from the Air Force to come and retrieve her so she could get treatment closer to her home. Arriving back in San Antonio, Arlyn was triaged immediately into the hospital’s burn unit. Spending about two weeks in the hospital, Arlyn and her husband were able to return home to Washington state where her husband had to immediately report to his unit in El Paso, Texas. It was a truly humbling experience for Arlyn to have to rely on those around her and not being as mobile as she was used to. 

Extending her ETS date to ensure her burn care was covered, Arlyn found out her husband was receiving his medical fellowship at UCLA and grabbed on to the first solid plan she was able to for months. As Arlyn’s ETS date came and went, her husband asked her an important question: what did she want to do from here? 

Not knowing what her answer was, and knowing her previous answer revolved around her ambitions in the Army, all she wanted now was to be able to walk again, drive a car, and have her old normal. She instead asked him, what he would do with his life? He responded with everything in his current life; being a surgeon and a father. It really hit Arlyn that she needed some new and exciting goals to achieve in her life. At first jokingly, she said she wanted to be an actor in light of their new move to Los Angeles. Having no idea where to start, Arlyn googled and researched what she needed to do to begin her new career endeavors. 

Forcing herself to walk long distances for about six months in LA, Arlyn took some classes in a comedy school and began to send out auditions. She booked her first gig with USAA for a national commercial, which at the time never aired. A few years later in Hawaii,  she found an audition with USAA again seeking a role that fit her perfectly and got the part! If you see the commercial, Arlyn plays a part named ‘Kate’. 

Being redirected to something else in her life is something Arlyn could have never imagined, but she would not have it any other way. Learn more about Arlyn’s transition from the Army to Hollywood this week on The Military Woman and so Much More!

Quotes: 

• “Yes you can have it all...but what does all really mean?”
• All those things I learned from the military, absolutely prepared me for a life in Hollywood.”
• “Because my perspective has changed, right? Perspective, went from, you know, I want to be a general in the Army Nurse Corps One day, when I go to anesthesia School in the Army, my career, blah blah blah, me me me. To I just want to be able to walk without a limp, you know. I want to be able to walk more than I don't know, half a mile, you know like can I stand without pain. Like it was so simple. What I wanted out of my life.”

Links: 

https://twitter.com/arlyn821?s=20