ROCHELLE — Theresa Crystal of Rochelle served in the United States Army from 1978-1982. 

After enlisting right out of high school, Crystal did her basic training in South Carolina at Fort Jackson. She then spent time at Fort Meade in Maryland, before spending two years at the 97th General Hospital in Frankfurt, Germany. Crystal finished up her service at Fort Belvoir in Virginia and was honorably discharged in 1982 as an E-5 sergeant, the highest rank she could achieve in four years.

“I came from an inner-city family with limited means,” Crystal said. “My reason for joining the military was to get my education paid for and the experience. Traveling to Europe was something I wanted to do. I knew there were Army stations over there. And I was able to travel all over Europe.”

While stationed at the 97th General Hospital in Germany, Crystal worked in personnel management for the Army. She worked out of the headquarters office and was involved in guiding those interested in promotions, and wrote awards and commendations. 

“If people were wounded or had done something heroic, the commanding officer would write an outline for me and I'd write an essay out of it,” Crystal said. “I wrote the incident into a narrative that would be read to families and headquarters at celebrations for awards.”

Crystal has used that experience in her current career as a teacher at Rochelle Middle School, where she’s been for 22 years. She tells her students how their skills learned in school could be put to work in a number of ways, including in the military.

Crystal was raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota and was one of five kids. Her father and brother both served in the military as well. 

“My parents asked me what I was going to do when I turned 18,” Crystal said. “There's nothing wrong with becoming an independent adult and the military is one way to do that. It's a benefit to your life. The good thing about the military is you learn how to have grit and deal with things in life. It makes you strong. I knew the military would do that for me. That's something I've carried through my entire life. I don't know that I could have made it through college successfully and as well as I did without my military experience. The military gave me so many things.”

Crystal chose the Army because of the chance to end up in Europe. She tested well and was able to achieve her goal of office work in Europe. Prior to that in her basic training, she learned combat and self-defense, and learned weapons skills. 

Crystal stood four-foot-10 and weighed 90 pounds when she enlisted in the military, which concerned her parents. She didn’t meet the height or weight requirements for the Army, and was able to get waivers for both, which isn’t common. And after those hurdles, she still had to make it through basic training. 

“And I did make it,” Crystal said. “You have to be a qualified soldier. The drill sergeants saw I had a hard time doing things like reaching ropes and I was assigned a partner to help with things like that. God's grace is always with us. Looking back, I see how God's hand has always been in my life. I was very blessed to have help along the way. I was a scrawny little kid and I had no muscle. I gained 20 pounds in eight weeks after joining the military. I became strong and agile and I learned self defense. I used that in a few situations as a young single woman. I've stayed fit all my life. I still get up at 4 a.m. and exercise faithfully. It's been 40 years now. I'm still fit, happy, energetic and grateful for where I started.”

After her service, Crystal spent time in the Kansas City area where she went to college and attained a business degree with her Army education benefits. After having children, she got her education degree as well and is currently finishing up her second master’s degree. 

“The state was giving out grants to veterans for education,” Crystal said. “I took advantage of that. I'm going to retire next year. It's fun dealing with teenagers. I enjoy teaching and making a difference. I'm a really strict teacher, but it works when you see the results in kids.”

Crystal’s travel in Europe during her service included stops in Germany of Munich and Heidelberg. She also traveled to Switzerland, Holland and France. She saw sights of Oktoberfest in Munich and The Louvre Museum and the Mona Lisa in France. Her time in Europe inspired her to learn more about history.

Crystal also got the opportunity to learn about the inner workings of the military. When stationed in Virginia, she was near Washington D.C. and the Pentagon. 

“I saw the political side of the military,” Crystal said. “And I got to see the historic sites up and down the east coast. I wasn't the best student when I learned these things for the first time. The things I saw in my time in the military deepened my love and understanding of our own country. I learned a lot about the military and its background and what it takes to protect our country. There's no place like home. Even though Europe is beautiful, there's no place like America. We have the freedom to be whatever we want, and that's not true everywhere.”

The military gave Crystal skills for the rest of her life, namely discipline, which she now instills in her students at RMS. 

“I learned to do the little things before getting to the big things,” Crystal said. “I'm a math teacher, so I use that in my classes. You have to learn how to deal with fractions before you can solve equations. It's the little things and life builds on itself. You may think you can skip the little stuff, but you can't.”

Honoring Our American Hero is a series that will print twice a month in the News-Leader. If you know an American Hero you would like to have featured, contact Jeff Helfrich at jhelfrich@rochellenews-leader.com or call 815-561-2151.