Gina Bua

Looking for a way to help pay for college, I joined the Army National Guard at 17 as an Oboe Player (later switching to Bassoonist) in the 59th Army Band in California. I spent 2 ½ years as an Active Guard/Reserve member as one of the first full-time medical recruiters for the National Guard. After graduating from college with my Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Studies, I found the job market to be pretty tight and ended up joining the Active Army as a Bassoonist, serving 3 years with the 56th Army Band (formerly 9th ID Band) at Ft. Lewis. I volunteered for recruiting duty, hoping to be assigned back to medical recruiting, but to my dismay had to work in regular recruiting for 3 years before being assigned as a Health Professions Recruiter. I went on to become an instructor and curriculum developer for both regular recruiting and health care recruiting. Upon my promotion to First Sergeant, I had to return to regular recruiting, which I did not enjoy the first time around. It was in Recruiting Command that I encountered some of the most toxic leadership in the Army. I began to count the days until I could retire. I was constantly battling pressure from Command Sergeants Major to violate my ethical principles. I have always believed in training Soldiers, and taking care of my unit members. This irritated my Battalion Leadership Team, who would have preferred that I badger and berate my Station Commanders and Recruiters. Within two weeks of my retirement in 2009, I marched with the Veterans for Peace in an Occupy Movement protest march in Portland, Oregon and soon thereafter became a member of VFP. I enjoyed my newfound freedom of expression and freedom of assembly. I graduated from Portland State University with my Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction in 2011. With the local school districts cutting teaching positions, I was unable to find any history teacher positions, so I started volunteering with the Clark County Veteran’s Assistance Center. After about seven months of volunteering helping Veterans, I was able to find employment with the federal government as a Rating Veterans Service Representative. I retired from federal service in the spring of 2016, and intend to devote more time to breaking the military industrial complex's stranglehold on our government. I have come to the realization that war only benefits corporations, and have known of too many service members who have sacrificed their lives, or physical/mental health for unnecessary wars. I look forward to sharing my knowledge of recruiting practices to further IVAW’s efforts in counter-recruiting, as well as teaching members how to navigate the complicated process of accessing Veteran’s benefits.