Rylan Randolph: Soldier, Red Raider

Service is often a hard thing to describe. There is an exchange of value. It is a performance of duties. Yet, seemingly, there is a sacrifice. For members of the Armed Forces, this is especially true. Army Veteran Rylan Randolph has found a fuller life through the sacrifice, value and duty of service.

“All I wanted to be was a soldier and a Red Raider,” says Randolph.

In 2002, Randolph was counting pills as a pharmacy tech. It was a good living. However, September 11, 2001 affected him, as it did millions of Americans. Randolph was the kid who wore the G.I. Joe costume for Halloween, after all. With so many military members deploying to Afghanistan, it was time for Randolph to put the uniform on for real. When he was asked to pick a military occupational specialty (MOS), his recruiter suggested pharmacy tech. No. Randolph wanted to fight.

“We thought it’d be like a six month war—hard and heavy and home by Thanksgiving,” Randolph remembers. “When we were eating Thanksgiving dinner in Iraq, it sunk in that we would be here for Christmas and probably longer.”

By August, the blistering heat was getting to him. He had been on a convoy when word passed that Saddam Hussein, the tyrant President of Iraq, had been found, and experienced the euphoria that swept over the ranks. But, that was forever ago. Now, his food melted and his sweaty rifle was harder to grip and the close calls were getting closer. The “why him not me” questions and the judgement of inches began.

“It’s ‘be the best you can be.’ You want to do your very best at every moment. Things get serious…”

Randolph sat on the plane with his knees bouncing against the coffin of another soldier. They were leaving Iraq. Randolph would ask himself one question over-and-over: “Why am I sitting here and he’s lying there?” 

Randolph behind his weapon on convoy.

The Vet Center was established as a stigma-free place for combat Veterans. Those from the Vietnam War needed readjustment counseling, referral services and PTSD screenings away from VA medical centers. So Vet Centers found their way to strip malls and shopping centers to offer its free, confidential services. Withdrawn, struggling Veterans, however, would still be hard to bring through the door.

Randolph became a Red Raider after leaving the Army in 2006. To supplement his income, he took a work-study position with the Lubbock VA Outpatient clinic. He moved up. A full-time position followed. In short time, the VA had become his benefactor and ally, but seeing so many Veterans either not know about benefits offered or not connect to those benefits or both, Randolph’s question changed: “Why me and not him?” His next transition was to the Vet Center.

“Everyone needs to talk about stuff,” explains Randolph. “But…there are not enough words to put you behind the gun if you’ve never been there.”

A Marine Veteran had received the Purple Heart and several other medals for his service in Afghanistan. He had a wife and children. Injuries, both visible and invisible, made life difficult on he and his family and he was not connected to any of his benefits—until he met Rylan Randolph promoting the Vet Center at a community event.

“I’ve come to recognize that Veterans take care of Veterans,” Randolph says. “It was a passionate decision for me to serve as a soldier. Now, I am able to get behind the mission that drives the Vet Center.”

Randolph built a connection with the Marine. In time, he asked Randolph for help getting in touch with the full scope of his benefits. Randolph personally walked him through the Lubbock VA Outpatient Clinic as a service to the Veteran—a service that fills Randolph’s life.

“When I was in Iraq, I got to live life to the fullest,” Randolph describes. “Every decision you make can make a huge impact. You’re not concerned with tomorrow—just in service to right now.”

The Lubbock Vet Center can be found at 3106 50th Street Suite 400, Lubbock, TX 79413, or by phone at 806-792-9782 or 806-792-9782.

The Amarillo Vet Center can be found at 3414 Olsen Blvd. Suite E, Amarillo, TX 79109, or by phone at 806-354-9779 or 877-927-8387.