Many men and women who volunteer to serve in the United States military do so because they feel a calling to serve. To serve their country, their fellow service members and those they will never even meet.
For some, joining one of the military service branches allows them to pour themselves into mission-focused activities. For others, it’s the allure of duty while seeing the world.
“I joined the Air Force to be a pilot,” said Lt. Col. Christopher Dorough. “I stayed in the Air Force because of the people, the mission, and the adventure.”
Dorough never intended to be careerist in the Air Force, but with each new assignment and duty station, he found new purpose and a new spark in who he was serving with.
“The military has influenced my work ethic and professionalism,” he added. “I know that with enough hard work and commitment, anything is possible. I also know what I’m capable of, and I have a confidence in myself that has been developed through the consistent challenges I’ve faced throughout my career.”
A challenge Dorough never saw coming was a cancer diagnosis.
His goal for enrollment in the Air Force Wounded Warrior Program (AFW2) in 2023 was to expand his resources and find community as he reexamined life after treatment. He found out his cancer returned while attending his first CARE Event, and it almost seemed meant-to-be.
“The very next day, I met another Air Force Lt. Col., and she asked me what was wrong,” Dorough said. “After explaining my situation, she shared with me that she was also a metastatic cancer survivor and encouraged me to stay strong. Meeting her, and hearing her story, gave me enough hope to face what was in front of me. I didn’t know how I was going to survive another round of treatment, but I knew if others did it, then so could I.”
Finding strength among her fellow warriors was something Master Sgt. Tania Miranda Banks welcomed during her own battle with cancer.
“When I enrolled in AFW2 I was struggling with anxiety from a medical diagnosis that was controlling every part of my life,” she said. “I was beginning to lose faith and hope that everything was going to be okay. I was distancing myself from loved ones, and I needed help.”
Miranda Banks first found support with her Recovery Care Coordinator, whose empathetic approach was soothing and her experience in getting things moving for holistic health was needed. Soon after, she agreed to attend her first CARE Event last year.
“I made a bunch of new connections but specifically in the mentorship track I was able to connect with someone on a very similar journey as me with a cancer diagnosis and it was so helpful to hear what she had gone through, and where she was at in her healing journey. It gave me the hope I didn’t know I needed at that time in such an organic way,” she said.
By the time registration was opened for the next CARE event, Miranda Banks decided she wanted to give back and signed up for the Recovering Airman Mentoring Program (RAMP). This one-day workshop prepares AFW2 wounded warriors to mentor others along their healing journey.
Miranda Banks wants to be a resource for Airmen and their families. Having gone through so much adversity in and out of the military, she feels like it prepared her to relate better and understand people on a deeper level.
“My experience with AFW2 has provided me with a bigger sense of purpose, being that I can see the full picture of what Airmen go through, intra and post service,” she said. “Having the opportunity to meet so many people on different journeys opened me up to understanding what others go through and what helped and hurt them. Knowing what I do now, I feel like I am more capable of helping wherever needed.”
Miranda Banks serves as an AFW2 Mentor and Dorough serves as an AFW2 Ambassador. Honing his story of resilience and folding into it the power of connection, Dorough believes sharing his experience can make a positive impact. He and others travel with the AFW2 Outreach and Ambassador team to bases around the country to raise program awareness and let others know they are not alone in whatever struggles they face.
“I lost a lot of my life-purpose and my identity when I could no longer fly airplanes,” Dorough said. “That was devastating, and I know others out there are struggling with maintaining hope and reinterpreting their self-identity while in recovery.Giving people hope and helping them during difficult times is a higher calling, filled with purpose, fulfillment, and joy. I’m still on my own road to recovery, learning new things about myself all the time. But helping others helps me. I also get a tremendous sense of community, belonging, and purpose by participating in AFW2 events, and offering the organization my time and talents.”
If you are an Airman or Guardian needing support in your recovery journey, learn more about AFW2 and complete a referral form.
