By Sonia Garza
Home to the 1st Special Forces Group, Joint Base Lewis-McChord can feel like a different world, especially if you are a civilian. Entering the secure gates can seem intimidating with the guardsman and security detail, but tucked behind the secure gates are soldiers who perform a myriad of daily activities we rarely get to see.
It wasn’t until I invited my parents to Washington for a visit that I realized how truly eye opening life behind the gates can be for a civilian. I took my parents to the JBLM Welcome Center to get their visitor passes and the first thing my mother said was, “Look at all the people in uniform.” It had not dawned on me that people walking around in military uniform was a rarity that I had simply become accustomed to. My parents remained wide-eyed watching helicopters, passing by statues, and seeing women in uniform. It was then that I knew civilians see the military world through a different lens.
The images in this photo set are a window into a world that is a reality for so many soldiers and families living in the area. For civilians, these photos may be a rare sight, but to the families who experience them every day, this is life.
