00:00:00BONANO: So today is Tuesday, April 14, 2026. This is an interview with Julie Helgerson, who served in the United States Army National Guard from 1992 to 1998. This interview is being conducted by Kristin Bonano at the La Crosse Public Library for the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Oral History Program. No one else is present in the interview room. So Julie, tell me about where you grew up.
00:00:25HELGERSON: I grew up in Holmen, Wisconsin, just outside of La Crosse, small community, and was born in La Crosse and went to Holmen for all of my school, high school.
00:00:39BONANO: What did your family do?
00:00:42HELGERSON: My dad worked in a factory, most of the time was a welder, and my mom worked in, she did a variety of things, but mostly I think during that time she worked at a commissary and then after that, before retirement, worked at BioLife Plasma Center.
00:01:05BONANO: So what initially made you want to join the military?
00:01:08HELGERSON: So this is a funny story. As a I was in high school, My friend Rochelle and I were outside in gym class doing archery and she said, "I think I'm going to join the National Guard," and having no plan after high school, I said, "I think I can do that too." But of course it was in a more high school like I think I can totally do that, too. Just to go back for a little bit of backstory. Her and I were cheerleaders. It was a GI Jane, I guess, situation. So we headed down to the recruitment office and we enlisted when we were 17. Obviously had to have our parents' permission and they both signed for us. I think my dad said, "You'll make it two weeks." And little did he know, not making it wasn't an option. So we enlisted, and we had to take the ASVAB test twice, which is an entrance exam, because at that time, they were offering college reimbursement. And so you had to have a certain score to get a certain job to get that opportunity. So, I did take that test twice, but I did pass and I joined as a water purification specialist was eventually going to be my job.
00:02:40BONANO: Okay, so I have here that you joined with Rochelle in December 1992 and you went through the buddy system. Can you explain what the buddy system is for everyone?
00:02:49HELGERSON: Yes, so at the time there was a buddy system and so you could join, I don't know if it was outside of the National Guard or just an Army National Guard opportunity. So we joined together, which meant we would go to Basic Training together. We weren't necessarily in the same room in the barracks. But you had someone there for support and someone you knew, which was helpful to get through Basic Training. And so we joined and went to the same, we went to Fort Lee, I'm sorry, we went to um Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, for Basic Training and then we also went to Fort Lee, Virginia, for our AIT training. So it was just, it was wonderful to be able to spend that time with her and have the support. She was right across the room from me. And so, yeah, friends in high school, and then from there had a military career.
00:03:47BONANO: Wow. Very helpful to have your best friend there.
00:03:47HELGERSON: Yeah, yeah, it was great.
00:03:49BONANO: You already mentioned a little bit before that your dad said, I'll give you two weeks--
00:03:55HELGERSON: Yeah.
00:03:55BONANO: --but I wanted to ask, what did your family think or say when you joined?
00:03:59HELGERSON: I remember telling my grandma and so I joined in December and she died that month and she just, wow, she begged me not to do it, but I think I think she knew you know things were, she was ill at the time, so like aside from her everyone was super supportive I think honestly think that some people thought it was a joke that the two of us were doing this and so--But no, my parents, they were so supportive, signed the documents and did all the things, so yeah.
00:04:36BONANO: Okay.
00:04:36HELGERSON: Yeah.
00:04:36BONANO: Did you have any family or relatives who served in the military?
00:04:38HELGERSON: I did, yes. So both my grandfathers served in the Navy and were deployed during World War II, I believe. And so they were in the Navy. My uncle was in the Navy. I don't think, so like my parents were not in the military. And so I do so a big reason why Rochelle joined was her dad was also in the military, had a really long military career, so he was, I think, like the main contributor and supporter for us both, and I think he helped reassure my parents that we could do this.
00:05:23BONANO: That's great.
00:05:23HELGERSON: Yeah.
00:05:24BONANO: So you joined in December 1992 and that was in your junior year of high school.
00:05:31HELGERSON: Right.
00:05:31BONANO: So you signed up and then you had to continue and going to school and then uh you did your Basic Training in summer 1993 between junior and senior year, is that correct?
00:05:42HELGERSON: Our Basic, yeah, so we we went to Basic Training for eight weeks at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, and then like you said we returned and then went back to high school, so did all the we were seniors and we still drilled once a month and then we didn't do two weeks that summer so when you're in the National Guard it's generally once or back then was once a month and two weeks in the summer but because we were going to AIT we did not do that two weeks so after we graduated we were back on a bus to Minneapolis, flying out to Fort Lee, Virginia.
00:06:19BONANO: Okay. So I'm going to go back a little bit so we could just talk about how Basic went. So, um, your Basic was at, um Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. So how'd you get there?
00:06:30HELGERSON: So we left on a bus from La Crosse and went to Minneapolis and there was, it's called MEPS, so that's where they're doing another intake, making sure you're, from your initial physical exam, you're good to go. And then we flew to St. Louis and I remember being in, they have a room where service members can go and so we're eating hot dogs and watching TV and popcorn and then we took a bus from there to Fort Leonard Wood and then from there it was just, I remember thinking, What did I just do? We're getting screamed at. I was dropping my bags and the drill sergeant was just screaming at me and I thought, Why did I bring all this stuff? And then when you're going to the barracks, they have you put your head in your bag so you can't see where you're doing. So they don't want you to know how to leave. And so I just, like, when I had my head in the bag is when I thought, two times, when I dropped my stuff and had my head in the bag, I thought this is crazy, What am I doing? And then from that bus, they get you into lines, and I remember Rochelle was in one line and I was in another line and I thought, Oh my goodness, we're going to get completely separated. But it was we were in the same building, same floor. And like I said, she was across the room from me.
00:08:03BONANO: That's scary.
00:08:04HELGERSON: Yeah.
00:08:05BONANO: What are some other experiences that you remember from Basic, anything that went on that sticks out to you?
00:08:10HELGERSON: So even before we left for Basic, they had a program where we went to Camp Douglas for the weekend and to get just a small taste of what Basic Training would be like. So I knew that it was going to be mentally and physically challenging, I think, you know, but after that first two weeks, two or three weeks, they let up a little bit and it was really intense though, I think academically, and physically. So both mentally and physically it was just challenging. I-- throughout my whole military career struggled with running, so that was one thing that I was constantly trying to have to keep keep doing in order to pass my PT test. But I remember getting--so I joke that I took the ASVAB twice. I also had to do my weapons qualification twice because I wasn't zeroed in and once I did I was I was actually rather good at it but um and then I had to um do something else twice and I thought, My goodness maybe my PT test. But I I remember doing a skills test and I did really well on that and so it was just a lot of reading, memorizing, studying. Like every time you had a second you had to be reading and memorizing things so it's a lot within eight weeks.
00:09:40BONANO: Was the studying harder than high school?
00:09:43HELGERSON: Oh my gosh yeah yeah.
00:09:44BONANO: I wanted to ask, I guess this, I can ask in this section, so you took the ASVAB twice and you said that, you know, it was to figure out what you were going to do because you were going get college reimbursement. At this time, what were you thinking you were gonna do, that you were go to college and study what?
00:10:00HELGERSON: Yeah, so I joined really because I didn't have money set aside for college, that was going to be all on my own, and I knew that I was going, but I just didn't have the resources to pay for it. And so I went to Western here in La Crosse and started in the marketing program and then as I was going through that added on retail and then added on fashion because it just became one or, no it was more than one credit, but it just became like one or two classes to get the next degree. So also kind of an interesting spin that I would be in the military and have a fashion degree so it's just very contradictory.
00:10:43BONANO: That's great. So kind of similar with the contradictions in your life. So you did your Basic in the summer, then you had to go back to high school, be a senior. You mentioned you and Rochelle, were you both cheerleaders?
00:10:55HELGERSON: We were.
00:10:56BONANO: Were you still cheerleading in your senior year?
00:10:57HELGERSON: We were basketball cheerleaders, I can't remember if I, yeah, I was going to, I thought at one time maybe I had quit, but I don't think I did. And so yeah, and I do have photos here of our, of Basic Training. This is my favorite photo, well, not favorite, but this one was the one that I held in um, the I Am Not Invisible photo shoot. I felt like I needed to make sure to incorporate Rochelle into that. I mean, she was a major part of me joining the military. And so that was us during Basic Training. Must have been something similar and while that why they're caught like this unfortunately was because she did pass away and these were off of a photo board that we did, and then, just sewed this. This is a good example, in my bleached blonde hair. And then, let's see, I have a couple more from Basic Training. Lots of pushups were done in Basic Training.
00:12:04BONANO: That's a great picture.
00:12:06HELGERSON: And then just a silly one of us in our--
00:12:10BONANO: Looks like you guys had fun.
00:12:12HELGERSON: We did, and I'm reflecting back and then this is Graduation Day of Basic. Our parents came down. It was great. And my mom had to dye my hair in the hotel room because I had bleach blonde hair and those roots were coming out. So I remember I asked her to bring a hair kit to do. We did have a lot of fun and as I was looking at these photos in preparation for the interview, that was one thing that really came to mind. I think as far--it was a pretty uneventful military career. However, I did--the relationships that I created aside from Rochelle, or we created, and the people we got to meet from all across the United States was just really amazing.
00:13:02BONANO: I forgot to ask this I guess, so you made friends in Basic besides sticking with Rochelle?
00:13:07HELGERSON: Yeah, and you know, it was a different time, and so our friends wrote letters to us. So I still have all the letters that I received while I was in Basic Training from family and friends, and we would wait in line for hours at a pay phone. There was no cell phones, and, so, we would wait and wait and I remember. And you would only get 10 minutes and so you had a list of people's phone numbers and then you just called until you could talk to someone and so sometimes um you just hang up and call again and talk to people, so I actually had some photos of friends in line waiting to call. So um there were but those connections really didn't remain after um after Basic because you'd have to call or write and so just wasn't as easy as it is today to connect with people. So I've often thought about reaching out to a few people that I--you know my battle buddy was not Rochelle, it was someone else who I became close with, and we we stayed in contact a little bit but then kind of life.
00:14:19BONANO: What was her name?
00:14:20HELGERSON: Her name was Melissa.
00:14:23BONANO: Okay, so you, when we spoke earlier, you said that during senior year you drilled once a month. So tell me what drilling was like.
00:14:33HELGERSON: Yeah, so we would leave mostly on Saturday mornings. We had about an hour drive. We lived in Holmen and we drilled in Black River Falls. And so depending on what the weekend looked like, sometimes we would work on vehicles. Sometimes we would have training exercises. We did a lot of fun things, too. We had a chance to build a fence. For a high school. I mean, I never thought I would do something like that. We, one summer, I had an opportunity to be part of a recruitment effort, so we drove around and hung up signs. So while my job was water purification specialist, between that year that we drilled, between our junior and senior year, we did a variety of different things. I learned how to drive a forklift. Maintenance on vehicles, all sorts of things.
00:15:36BONANO: Wow. Okay, so tell me about your high school graduation.
00:15:42HELGERSON: High school graduation was pretty quick, I mean, because we knew that we were leaving. We had a going away party. I had also found pictures of when we left to go to Basic. So we had all, some friends and family at a park, and so we had that going away party. And then, so for me, my graduation was fun in the way that I went to other parties and supported my other friends, but also, for my graduation party it was just very small, family and friends, intimate, and then from there we took off again from the bus station in La Crosse and, crying, but we also had the support of each other, which was really amazing.
00:16:26BONANO: Yeah. So that was summer 1994. So right after graduation, you guys went to AIT. By guys, I mean you and Rochelle.
00:16:37HELGERSON: Yes.
00:16:38BONANO: You went to Fort Lee, Virginia. So how'd you get there?
00:16:42HELGERSON: We flew out of Minneapolis to Fort Lee, Virginia, and we, I remember saying, "Wouldn't it be nice if we just got there and weren't screamed at right away?" Because in Basic Training it's like, your feet hit the ground and you're being yelled at. And we got off the bus and it was really late so I think we must have taken a bus from, we did take a bus from the airport to where we would be in holding. And so we got there and the person checked us in and said, "All right, just go get some rest." And I remember both of us thinking this, "When's it going to happen? When are we going to get yelled at?" but--So, unfortunately, we were in this holding pattern for several weeks. So we were just hanging out because-- I don't know if the class, the schedule wasn't set. In the military, I'm sure you've heard many times, it's hurry up and wait. And that is exactly what we did. So we--just hung out at the barracks and then we're assigned to our class several weeks later. And so then we, it was 16 weeks to learn how to do the water purification and so because of that then I didn't go to college until a little bit later. I think it might have been even the following January and so just worked when I got back.
00:18:06BONANO: Okay, so you said when you got there they didn't have you guys do anything for a while, so what was it like hanging out for weeks in Virginia in the summertime?
00:18:16HELGERSON: So, again, if we didn't have electronics and so we really formed relationships with other people that were in our class. One not fun story, I was a smoker at the time and I remember doing laundry and had washed a pack of cigarettes in my uniform and so that was probably spent an afternoon trying to clean up that mess and plus I didn't want to get yelled at. But, so. Yeah, we were in that holding pattern. It was very boring. Yeah.
00:18:51BONANO: I bet. So you got trained in water purification, was that something you chose or something they assigned to you?
00:18:56HELGERSON: So I think at the time you know they're looking for slots for you to fill or be in and so and and then to be relatively close to where we lived and so that was the slots were open at Black River Falls so it was a hundred the 106th Quartermaster Supply Unit. Yeah. And again, like we had some unique opportunities while we were at Fort Lee training to be water purification specialists. We were pulled aside by our drill sergeant and his wife and she asked if we wanted to participate in a Hispanic Heritage Month. And so she taught us how to do these dances. I have some pictures to share. And so that was really interesting and unique. This is and I remember when we were leaving she was just kind of sad we were going because we we did this for several weeks. So there's one of me and we wore these dresses yeah and so we performed this twice once in a inside of a facility and then the the next time we performed it outside and there was hundreds of people watching so it was pretty cool. Here's another one. I guess I didn't bring one of Rochelle and I but yeah so that was pretty neat.
00:20:31BONANO: That is fun. All right. So I was going to ask, did Rochelle have the same job? Water purification?
00:20:41HELGERSON: She did.
00:20:42BONANO: Oh, OK. Interesting. So you guys got trained up on water purification at some point. What were you thinking in terms of being trained in that? Like, at that time, did you think that you would do something related to water purifications afterwards?
00:20:57HELGERSON: I did. Not in my civilian life. So around that same time or like before we had joined there was this movie with Pauly Shore in it and I think it was called "Waterboy." So people were asking me what my job would be and I said, "Have you seen that movie? That's what we're doing, but on a way more serious level." And, so, yeah, but I remember that being very difficult for me, too, and I was looking at some of the, I still have my notes from when we were studying and I thought, "Man, this is fascinating that I was able to learn that. But unfortunately, I don't know if we knew while we were there, but when we returned, we found out our unit was no longer, and it was changing over to a transportation unit. So we didn't have jobs when we got back, so we kind of had to take a different path.
00:21:52BONANO: That was the 1158th Transportation Company it changed to--
00:21:57HELGERSON: Yep. Mm-hmm.
00:21:58BONANO: --and that took away your job?
00:22:00HELGERSON: Yeah.
00:22:01BONANO: Okay, before we get to that, a couple questions about AIT, so you mentioned that you still have your notes and everything, what were classes like?
00:22:12HELGERSON: Long, all day, and in the, and I don't know how to like explain, the setting wasn't really like classroom, it was the like these huts outside kind of thing, but it was also physical because we had to um learn different, not really techniques, so different equipment. So we were constantly, I think, you know, like we would go from one thing to the next thing after we were all trained on that to the thing. So there's a lot of different ways you can purify water. And so we had to learn all of that.
00:22:50BONANO: Okay, what was the discipline like at Advanced Training? Like your AIT situation compared to Basic?
00:22:58HELGERSON: A lot less stressful. I would say, while it was still strict, we had more flexibility. So in the evenings we could go do things. We went to DC one weekend. They let us go to an amusement park one weekend, so we still had, there was still disciplined approach, definitely. You couldn't do whatever you wanted to, but it was. It was more classroom and sort of freedom, I guess, and you weren't yelled at as much.
00:23:35BONANO: I see. Okay. So, you mentioned that your company changed, your unit went away, and then you were the 1158th Transportation Company. So that was, let me get my timeline right, so you had finished AIT when--in summer '94.
00:23:56HELGERSON: Yeah.
00:23:57BONANO: So um I guess after that, still in '94, you went back to Black River Falls?
00:24:02HELGERSON: I did. Yeah.
00:24:03BONANO: All right.
00:24:04HELGERSON: Yeah.
00:24:05BONANO: So and you were officially a water purification specialist, so tell me what it was like um what was a typical day like, at Black River Falls?
00:24:12HELGERSON: Well, we definitely weren't doing that anymore. So we helped wherever needed. And I can't remember the exact timeline on when Rochelle decided to go to ROTC. So while we were still drilling together, her role switched into being an officer. So. We, so there's different things you have to do over certain weekends. Weapons qualification, and trainings, and so we would do those things, but then also I decided to help where needed or you know they asked me. So I spent a lot of time in the beginning of that transition in administrative roles. So using typewriters and helping people fill out their insurance and updating their insurance information. What else do-- I mean so a lot of administrative type work and then I found myself hanging out with my friends who were cooks and so then I helped out there more and so from a formal role I never from that point just kind of floated around wherever they needed me. One summer I drove the company commander so during our two weeks. Rochelle and she was still drilling with me at that time, or always drilled, but she had the same role. I think she wasn't going to be an officer at that. When we did that two weeks, we went to Camp Ripley and they were leading a, it was a transportation, but we drove ahead with the company commander and it was interesting. I don't know if I have, I have some pictures from that. I do have-- to back up to Fort Lee. I did get a certificate and a coin for participating in the--
00:26:11BONANO: Do you want to hold those up for me?
00:26:13HELGERSON: Yeah. So this was the participation in the Fort Lee 1994 Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration. So that, and then the coin.
00:26:27BONANO: So you get the certificate and the coin for the same thing?
00:26:30HELGERSON: Yeah.
00:26:31BONANO: OK.
00:26:32HELGERSON: Yeah.
00:26:33BONANO: Awesome.
00:26:34HELGERSON: One coin I didn't, I don't know where it went, is, I had a perfect-attendance coin too, but I don't know where I went. Here are the ones from the AIT weekend, or weeks--two weeks--as they were transporting the vehicles. Of course we were always--I think that says a lot about us right there.
00:26:59BONANO: Right.
00:27:00HELGERSON: And then I have a story behind, well, I'll show you this one first. So we stayed in these, those huts.
00:27:06BONANO: Oh, okay.
00:27:07HELGERSON: That's where we stayed when we got to Camp Ripley. And then this is Rochelle and I and the company commander that we were driving in a pet exercise area. And we got back into the vehicle and we were driving, Rochell was driving at that time. And the company commander kept saying, "Something smells. It stinks in here. What smells? It smells terrible." And I looked down and I had stepped in dog poop, and I have it in his car. It was not a great moment. Thankfully he was gracious about it, but yeah, that's what we get for being comical. Yeah.
00:27:44BONANO: So there's a lot going on here. So I wanted to ask, so when you got to Black River Falls, the position you trained for was no longer something you can do. How did you feel about that doing all that training and then getting there?
00:27:56HELGERSON: Yeah, it was not great. I mean like 16 weeks, you know, and then we didn't have a job. It almost--just like I said earlier about the hurry up and wait and how I thought, "How did they not know this was coming?" And so I did have other opportunities. I left as a specialist, which is uncommon. Most people--so I could have had another training to become a sergeant, and then that would have opened up other slots. But I just wasn't interested, same, so when I, a couple of things that I had thought about while I was in the military, while I was in Basic Training at AIT. At one time I thought I wanted to be a drill sergeant, and so they took me over to drill sergeant school and I quickly realized that was even more challenging than Basic Training and I was not up for that. And then at one time I had thought about being a chaplain and hadn't pursued that either. So I was fortunate to have the experiences I did and still paid at the same rate, still had tuition reimbursement, but not formally in another role. And I remember one of the, an officer asking me what can we do to promote you, get you trained? What are your desires? So I I do, I do feel like I had opportunities I just wasn't in that mindset and I remember when it was time for me to be discharged, you know, he said, "What can we do to get you to stay?" And I just was ready to move on, yeah, move on and I was engaged and actually had just gotten married towards that end of my career too. And so was really just interested in my career and family and got out.
00:29:51BONANO: Alright. I guess we'll get into that a little bit more later, but also I wanted to ask because you were discussing you know your feelings about doing things at Black River Falls, and what your future was gonna be like--you said Rochelle was at ROTC. Did she go to college at that time--
00:30:08HELGERSON: Yes.
00:30:09BONANO: --and join ROTC?
00:30:10HELGERSON: Yep. Yep.
00:30:11BONANO: Can you tell me about that?
00:30:12HELGERSON: Yeah, she went to UWL and I don't remember the surrounding details around it but remember that she had started doing the ROTC role at UWL in La Crosse here and I know that we were drilling together for a long period of time still while she was doing that. But I don't remember specifics on how that ended for her. She was in longer than I was, she was in until 2005. So I can't even remember if she had switched units after I left or how that looked for her but she ended up being deployed at one point or mobilized, I should say mobilized to Fort McCoy and after 9-11. And during that time had, I think she was, had been pregnant and then so through that process of exams and things had discovered she had breast cancer. And so then--I think she was mobilized, so that mobilization ended, they didn't go anywhere, and then I think she mobilized again, if I'm remembering it correctly. And then that time obviously she wasn't going to go because she was expecting Rhianna, and so she did go through some treatments for, cancer treatments while she was pregnant. Rhianna was born, she was in remission, and all was well. Until a few years later, probably two years, had a headache and just went, wanted to just get some relief from that and they said you need to come in just based on her history and that's when they discovered she had lung and brain cancer too. And so then she died after that. I mean I don't remember the exact date, I think I wrote it down, but yeah.
00:32:13BONANO: I think you might have told me, and I might have forgotten to also write that down.
00:32:17HELGERSON: So Rochelle died in 2007, so she served from 1993 to 2005, and then she died in 2007. Yeah.
00:32:29BONANO: So, I get the sense that Rochelle was really into being in the military, that she wanted that to be her whole career. So did you have differences about that while you were in the military?
00:32:38HELGERSON: I think she was, so we were, Rochelle was very smart, and she ended up being a teacher. She graduated in education and taught some, I think, kindergarten for a while. Our differences were she showed up, in my opinion, a hot mess sometimes, so I was fixing her uniform, and so she helped me academically, and I helped her kind of keep herself in order. So her dad was in the military, and her sister was also in the military, so that connection there. Yeah, so I don't think we we talked to or spoke too much in depth about her decision to do ROTC, so it still would have been that she would be in the National Guard. So she wasn't going to go active duty, but would have definitely pursued-- I don't know how long she would have stayed. I mean, I think she would probably stayed 20 years. Her dad stayed 20 plus And he ended up I think even doing some contract work after he was discharged.
00:33:43BONANO: What branch was her father in, do you know?
00:33:45HELGERSON: He was in both the, I think he might have been active Army and then was Army Reserve, and I think he might've been a contractor for the National Guard too.
00:33:53BONANO: Oh, okay.
00:33:54HELGERSON: And trained people at Fort McCoy.
00:33:56BONANO: Okay, while you were at Black Fever Falls, were there any special people you remember besides Rochelle?
00:34:04HELGERSON: Oh yeah, I mean, I've been looking at pictures because of these different experiences we had, was able to spend, so that two weeks that I drove around as a recruitment effort, met Stephanie Johnson, and it was actually Stephanie Storrent at the time. I ended up being in her wedding, and we were close while I was in. I, and then. So they were--so my unit was deployed after 9/11 and I just remember she was going, she was deployed for a year, my friend April who was in was deployed for that same amount of time. I mean, I mean I had yeah, I had close relationships They had, I haven't maintained them over the years, just things have, um, we just haven't. But I remember Stephanie being in my wedding and I was in her wedding. I think, no I say that, I'm not sure if she was. I definitely was in her wedding, but yeah, it's the crazy how the time blurs, but, yeah, I--And then just looking back on, we just had a lot of fun. I mean, I remember one, so when we left that AI--that two weeks when Rochelle and I were driving the company commander, we had gotten back and we could go home that night, but we had to come back the next day. And they had asked, "Who's staying tonight?" And both of us like raised our hands and we didn't want to go home. We just still wanted, and I remember one of the other service members looked at us and we're like, "Don't you guys want to go home?" We're just like, "We're not ready yet". Just like that. You know, like, "We have things to do tonight." So we definitely had fun.
00:35:55BONANO: What do you think appealed to you? Was it being in the military or was it being with your best friend all the time?
00:35:59HELGERSON: I think what really appealed to me first was tuition reimbursement and a way to help pay for college. Being with Rochelle was a bonus, I don't think I would have done it by myself. I think she would have, but I don t know that I would. And I did look forward to seeing people each drill weekend and some people I had met would come home with me at night and we'd do things in the evening until we had to drive back. So there weren't, there were things that I would say, you know, I was thinking about the things that maybe weren't great. And I think, just reflecting back on some of the sexist things at the time that probably people would never get away with now. I remember my platoon sergeant saying, "You might have an easier time passing your test if you'd get some weight off your hips." I was 125 pounds, and that just really stuck with me. I struggled to meet the weight requirements for my height and weight. So when I was 18 years old and until 20s had to be 127 and it was a struggle to pass. So I think that kind of stuck with me and has maybe created some things, more so like body image things and I remember even at MEPS. You're stripped down with 10 other women, your bra and underwear, and they have to look you over and make you walk like a duck. And we were prepared for all of these things, but it just seems, you know, and then when I didn't pass my weight requirement, I'd have to get taped and just to make sure it was muscle and not fat. And so that kind of, yeah, it was a challenge, I think, that part of it.
00:38:00BONANO: Thanks for sharing that. Any other experiences do you remember, whether they're positive or negative from drilling and things like that?
00:38:08HELGERSON: Yeah, well in AIT, and it's their story to share, but I had some friends, I guess you would say, and like relationships that were built, and there was some inappropriate behaviors with our drill sergeants, there was affairs that happened, people were caught. And it was a lot of pressure on me, a person I knew was wanting me to cover up for that. When you're 18, that's a lot to take in. So there was two girls who had affairs with two different, they're our drill sergeants, and I believe they both were caught. Yeah, not great in that way. Other than that, I think that my experience was really good, you know, but those things stick with you, more so like my personal experience and that's their story to share, but having to like hold that information in and it was, it was kind of stressful.
00:39:24BONANO: That would be stressful, I imagine.
00:39:26HELGERSON: In addition to like what we already have to learn now you're adding, like, "I don't want to be a part of that."
00:39:30BONANO: Extra drama.
00:39:31HELGERSON: Right.
00:39:32BONANO: I'm proud of everything else.
00:39:32HELGERSON: Yeah. Yeah.
00:39:33BONANO: That's tough. Thanks for sharing that. So.
00:39:38HELGERSON: And I think one other thing that I would add. You know, when I was in the military, it was not okay to be, to be gay and be in the military. And I had someone in our room shared at the very end, and I didn't care, you know, but it was a burden on her. And so she just, she kind of wanted us to know when she left. And I had another person close, I had a couple people that I was, felt close to and again, not my story to share, but I don't know how-- that struggle for them would have been really difficult. It was, this was the saying, "Don't ask, don't tell." I don t know if that-- I'm sure is not a thing anymore, but those are the kind of things that I hope over time have improved in the military. So, yeah.
00:40:25BONANO: Again, thanks for sharing that. This might be more relevant to when you, after you had left, but while you were drilling, were there any, did your unit ever deploy or mobilize while you were at Black River Falls?
00:40:40HELGERSON: Um, no. We, um, so there was some conflict with Bosnia at the time. I can't remember the year. I was in college and so back then there were not cell phones so I got home one day and there is a coded message on my answering machine basically like "Pack your stuff. Get ready," and so that would be step one and so I did that but we didn't, we were not mobilized from that but we were, we were, we needed to be prepared and ironically like I was supposed to fly out to New York that same period of time within a couple weeks for school, so that was, it was an experience to, "Okay. This is happening. Get everything in order and then I don't know if gratefully it didn't happen or you know, but I I think and I'll share a little bit more about my son and-- but I think what really, what I had in my mind is this isn't just about tuition reimbursement. You're signing up with this potential. So I didn't, it always baffled me when people tried to get out of it because this is what you're signing up for. And so people would often think of ways to get out of it. In fact. in Basic Training, with this horrific experience with someone who kept trying to get out and she was doing all of these things to try and get out. And one day we were on the firing range so weapons are downrange all the time and she I remember looking at her in a distance and she threw her Kevlar off and turned her weapon around at all of us, and you know drill sergeants tackled her and-- she was able to leave that day but it just it just baffled me, like, this is what you signed up for and why are you trying to leave? So it was just that was always something that kind of I don't know almost irritated me you know that you there's no draft, you chose to do this, and so I think that you have to fulfill that obligation
00:42:53BONANO: Mm-hmm. So you might not, you know, I don't know how much you remember, but I have to ask. So so there's something happening in Bosnia. Do you remember that being in the news? And did you know about that before you got a call?
00:43:05HELGERSON: Yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah, I can't remember what it was, but I definitely knew that that was, there was things happening so it wasn't a huge surprise. But I think like the reality setting in was, Whoa, and, Am I ready?, because, to be honest, my stuff wasn't in a bag, it was like, "I've got to get my stuff together here. Yeah."
00:43:27BONANO: Mm-hmm. So they sent you a message that you might need to go. When did they tell you, never mind?
00:43:33HELGERSON: Oh, it was days.
00:43:34BONANO: So you spent days maybe wondering--
00:43:35HELGERSON: Yeah, yeah.
00:43:36BONANO: --if you're gonna go to Bosnia.
00:43:37HELGERSON: Yep. Preparing.
00:43:38BONANO: What did that feel like?
00:43:39HELGERSON: Just a lot of uncertainty. I mean, we knew from there we would be going local, like mobilized, and then retraining. So that was comforting to know. I don't have to dig out all the things that I needed to remember. But yeah, so it's a scary feeling. And then when my unit, after I had gotten out and my unit was deployed to Iraq, I, I remember this enormous guilt and just feeling really bad about not being there with my unit, which was, you know, survivor's guilt almost in that I remember going to the send-off and just feeling horrible. And my son was born at that time. And so, you now, obviously I was not going to re-enlist or anything like that. But it just came with a lot of guilt.
00:44:37BONANO: Uh-huh. I'll get into that in a little bit in a second. I want to try and close out this section really quickly. You mentioned in January '95 you went to college. You went to Western Tech. You studied fashion. Did you graduate? You went for four years?
00:44:54HELGERSON: I did. No, it was about three years. So I graduated with a degree in marketing, fashion, and retail. And then--got a job at, I think my first job, I had worked retail during college, and then my first job was in an administrative role at a copy machine place in town and then I ended up being a trainer, so I trained the School District of La Crosse on how to use their copy machines and then, we'll probably get into this, but then my career shifted and I actually worked for a company who supported the military. And so while I think that helped, while I was feeling guilty about not going, I was still supporting in another role and in another way, and so that was a good feeling. Yeah.
00:45:45BONANO: Yeah. So it looks like roughly around the time you finished college is when you got out the military, right? So 1998.
00:45:52HELGERSON: Yep. Yep. Yep.
00:45:53BONANO: So what were the circumstances of you leaving the military? Do you want to explain the six-by-two contract maybe?
00:45:59HELGERSON: Yeah, so so I had my six years up and then was, like I said, getting married at that time, and I got married in for the first time in 1997 and we were married eight years and had my son Mason, and I had an obligation to be two years inactive, but that they could call me, and as I was looking back on the dates I remember thinking being nervous about being deployed, but I didn't have any reason to be, because when I'm looking at my paperwork, I was officially released in 1999. And so during that two years, they could have called me depending on what your skill set is, if they needed people. And so you have to know that that's part of your obligation. So it was six years active and then two years inactive.
00:46:51BONANO: Okay. So, initially how did it feel when you finished your contract?
00:46:57HELGERSON: I was relieved--not relieved. I was like, "That's done." I felt good about it. I know in reflecting back, sometimes I think I wish I would have taken my career in the military a little bit more seriously. Maybe gone to the PLDC is where you become a sergeant. But I didn't have the confidence. I flew under the radar. I remember one of the last days of Basic Training, one of the drill sergeants looked at me and he's like, "Who are you?" I just didn't exceed and I didn't mess up, I just wanted to get through. And that's how I kind of looked, my military career was kind of just getting through. Mm-hmm.
00:47:44BONANO: Mm-hmm.
00:47:44HELGERSON: Mm-hmm. Yeah.
00:47:44BONANO: So when you were done, did you just return home, and--?
00:47:49HELGERSON: Mm-hmm. Yeah.
00:47:49BONANO: With your family?
00:47:50HELGERSON: Just done drilling. Yep.
00:47:51BONANO: Yeah, that was it. So you were done with college at that time, so you had started your career?
00:47:58HELGERSON: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:47:58BONANO: All right. So, you mentioned that you had some feelings around 9/11 and your unit being deployed. So first, tell me what you remember about 9/11 that day.
00:48:09HELGERSON: Oh, I remember I was working at a flower shop and I was down in the basement and I remember--I can't remember, if I went upstairs or someone came down and told me that the twin towers were hit, and what happened in my mind, I was like, "No, no that already happened," was thinking about a bombing that had happened and I'm like, and so I was confused and I kept saying "No, That didn't happen. And then just watching it all unfold from there was just really unsettling. Yeah.
00:48:46BONANO: So you had, you know, your feelings you mentioned of guilt because by the time that 9-11 happened, you were not in the military anymore and your unit felt deployed, was deployed. They went to Iraq, right?
00:49:00HELGERSON: Yes.
00:49:01BONANO: So what, where do you think your feelings of guilt--
00:49:02HELGERSON: Yeah, and I'm not certain, like Iraq, Afghanistan, Middle East, yeah. Not certain where they were.
00:49:10BONANO: So, where did your feelings of guilt come from, you think?
00:49:15HELGERSON: I think--Looking back on, you know, it's very uncommon that, I think, and this is what I was told, so it's very uncommon that a person's not deployed in some point of their career. And I felt like that was my obligation, and maybe I wasn't following through with my obligation. I was honorably discharged, I didn't try to avoid anything, but I think that's where it was like settling in for me was, I trained for this, and now I'm not doing it. So. Yeah.
00:49:48BONANO: Right. So, at that point after 9/11, you know, the United States decides to enter a war and Rochelle is activated and sent to Fort McCoy, right?
00:49:57HELGERSON: Yes.
00:49:58BONANO: Tell me how you felt about Rochell going.
00:50:00HELGERSON: Oh, it was and so it was just it wasn't even just Rochelle. I mean Rochell and Stephanie and April and some of my close friends, and so being as supportive as I could but I remember Rochelle really, really struggling with when 9/11 happened, One of our very close friends was getting married on the 15th, so 9/11 obviously on September 11th, and she didn't come to the wedding. I mean, it was really, she was also newly married and, um, it was really, really difficult for her to process. So, like, just being supportive in any way I could, but also, yeah, um, wasn't really much I could do, um, for her, but just be supportive, you know.
00:50:52BONANO: Yeah. So, I guess--You went to college. So I'm assuming you used your GI bill, your benefits to go to college right?
00:51:00HELGERSON: Mm-hmm.
00:51:01BONANO: Did you end up using any of the other veterans benefits after you left?
00:51:05HELGERSON: No. It was weird. This is one thing I do look back on and wonder why. I basically was done and done and didn't get a veteran card, you know, like ID, wasn't told about services, unless I just don't remember. But it wasn't until in more recent years where I even you know, took it more seriously that I am a veteran and I do deserve the benefits. 'Cause I always, I feel very uneasy about saying I'm a veteran because I didn't serve in a war. And I remember someone even saying that to me, like, "You're not a veteran." And even so, as my son was growing up, they had different, different times where they were mentioning parents who were in the military and, or were veterans specifically, and I didn't include myself for many years. I felt that imposter syndrome, and even with this this photoshoot and things that are happening in this interview I think I need to own that, that I was and I am. And so I think breaking that stigma of like, because you weren't deployed doesn't mean that you're not a veteran and that you are any less deserving of veteran services or things that you've earned.
00:52:34BONANO: Absolutely. Thanks for sharing that.
00:52:36HELGERSON: Mm-hmm.
00:52:37BONANO: So did you continue any of the relationships with those you served? You kind of talked about being friends with, was it, Stephanie and April?
00:52:44HELGERSON: Yeah. Yeah.
00:52:45BONANO: And you can also use this time now to talk about Rochelle. You already mentioned already, you know, she was in the military in 2005. She learned she had cancer. She had her daughter and then she passed. Is there anything you want to mention about that time period? I guess it seems like it happened, you know, a few years after you leave.
00:53:04HELGERSON: Yeah.
00:53:04BONANO: Lots of stuff happens.
00:53:05HELGERSON: I, um, there were no, you know, ill-feelings or anything about relationships. It's just kind of like you're gone and then you don't see each other every month and so I have seen, seen people--my very, one of my very good friends, who died last May. started dating a guy and she introduced me to him and I looked at him like, "I know you," and he said, "I know you," and so we were also in the military together and it was interesting to hear his perspective of you and Rochelle and how we were and how much fun we were. And, so, Rochelle had also before she had gotten married had dated somebody that was in our unit and so we all grew apart and I think with social media there was an opportunity to connect with some people but just not to the degree in which seeing each other once a month is, so, um, I don't know that I'll ever I think about people a lot, but to rekindle more than that probably won't.
00:54:18BONANO: Okay. Um, are you involved with any veterans organizations now?
00:54:24HELGERSON: I--So, the very good friend of mine that died, her boyfriend is part of the French Island American Legion and so I had at one point signed up to that and I don't, we haven't really done anything, that was really recently. So as I had shared my, you know, my career for 15 years was working with an organization that ensured military readiness. And so we would go to different units and do physical exams and audio exams and review their medical records. And so I felt that that was a way that I was contributing, especially during 9/11. And then we had World Trade Center--We had a contract for World Trade Center survivors. And so. That was really fulfilling and really rewarding and in fact I have some of my, most of my coins are from--this is a a dental, mobile dental organization gave me this coin. They were a client of ours and did a lot of mobile dentistry work. And then this these were both from this was from the original organization, Logistics Health Incorporated, that they gave me. And then the organization changed and was sold to United Health Group and so we also got a coin for our work in doing that. So I think that really helped me to understand I was a manager. So I had staff under me and just to really help them connect with what a service member is going through. Definitely took some calls that were, um, concerning. We had some hotlines that people were considering suicide, and so just to help support my employees. And then my main role was to contract clinics to see service members from what's called their home-of-record, so that they didn't have to travel, ideally, distance to get their physical exams. We did lots [so??] audio, drug screens. Exams, dental work, and yeah, that was. So I think that really helped me, you know, doing that for 15 years, kind of, you know, you had asked about being in military organizations. That was that was a really supportive factor for me and then this coin of course which was the one we most recently got from La Crosse County.
00:57:01BONANO: I'm sorry, I'm trying to get that.
00:57:02HELGERSON: Yeah.
00:57:03BONANO: Okay, I got it. Thank you.
00:57:05HELGERSON: And I think I really enjoyed the experience through "I Am Not Invisible," and so in my life the last three years has been extraordinarily difficult and I think now I'm processing where I want to be in a role that supports veterans, so whatever that looks like. Most recently now my role is at a Franciscan Spirituality Center and because of my military background and desire to help people that work with the VA., and service members, I've had an opportunity to do some veterans retreats, working with the VA chaplains to do a retreat for couples, Warrior to Soulmate [W2SM], and so we've had one and we'll be having one in the fall. We were graciously given a grant to utilize some of this money and so I think, you know, having the background I have, I can figure out ways that this is going to be best utilized and what that will look like for the future. In support, we have a military discount now through the organization. And then we did do a retreat for service members and their spouses, partners, in which we went to the High Ground and so that was really impactful. So looking for opportunities to continue to always offer something for military service members and veterans within my organization now.
00:58:38BONANO: That's awesome. For clarity, because I feel like I forgot to ask, this job you had, what was it and where was it?
00:58:45HELGERSON: The--right now?
00:58:46BONANO: Yeah, the one you were with for 15 years.
00:58:48HELGERSON: Yeah, so that was Logistics Health, Incorporated, and, um--
00:58:53BONANO: And when did you start there?
00:58:56HELGERSON: Oh, goodness.
00:58:57BONANO: Rough estimate.
00:58:59HELGERSON: I started--I know, so when I had my son, it was 2002. December. And so I was working at a flower shop until December of 2002, and I had worked for the person who had hired me prior to that at an organization called Health Services of North America, which we did drug screens and pre-employment. And then he had gotten involved with the military contracts, and so by February of that following year I was working there. I started part-time at night to--Going into the office and just it just fit for me to continue there and I went from an employee to being on the leadership team when I left.
00:59:42BONANO: Okay. Awesome. So Logistics Health around, like, you said, February 2003 or early 2003 you started?
00:59:50HELGERSON: Yeah.
00:59:51BONANO: And you were there for 15 years?
00:59:52HELGERSON: Yeah.
00:59:53BONANO: Helping veterans.
00:59:54HELGERSON: Yeah.
00:59:55BONANO: Awesome.
00:59:56HELGERSON: Yeah.
00:59:57BONANO: Anything else you want to share about your career or anything else?
01:00:01HELGERSON: Yes. So I was thinking about these coins and so this one, I'll try to do this without crying, is probably my most cherished coin and so this was--my son joined the military and was in ROTC. And when he graduated, I was his first salute. And so meaningful. And he is in Fort Rucker right now, learning to fly Blackhawks--
01:00:32BONANO: Wow.
01:00:33HELGERSON: -- so we'll be going at the end of the month to go see him, but yeah, yeah. So I think because of my--oops--my positive experience, and I do share this with him, that part of being in the military is not just to pay for your schoo. And he's had a positive experience and is doing well. So I think, I don't know, he may make a, he might make a lifetime career out of it. I don't know. And I did, I also had a stepson. We're not, not married anymore, but he also joined the National Guard. And so I think sharing my positive experience has really helped shape their decisions.
01:01:16BONANO: Alright. So this is, that picture was of Mason?
01:01:19HELGERSON: Yeah.
01:01:20BONANO: Born in 2002.
01:01:21HELGERSON: Yeah.
01:01:22BONANO: All right.
01:01:23HELGERSON: And this was last--so when did he graduate? He graduated from UWL. This must have been last summer. Mm-hmm.
01:01:29BONANO: So how old is he now?
01:01:31HELGERSON: 23. [Inaudible. Laughter]. Yeah.
01:01:36BONANO: And he's in the Air Force and Army?
01:01:39HELGERSON: Nope, he's in Army National Guard.
01:01:41BONANO: Oh, Army National Guard as well. Okay.
01:01:42HELGERSON: So he'll drill out of, and has been drilling out of Madison.
01:01:46BONANO: Oh, okay. Awesome. Um, thoughts on your son being in the military following your footsteps?
01:01:53HELGERSON: I'm so proud of him. I think it just fits him so well. He's very organized. He wants things in order. And so it was just a natural, he graduated as an accountant. So that just kind of fits his personality and he's hard on himself though. So there's always that balance of like, I'm proud of you, but also for like all of you. Not just what you're accomplishing. So obviously I get emotional about that. And I've had people ask me, like, aren't you scared to death? He's going to be deployed. And I trust that he's been trained. I trust that he makes good choices. And so I know people have talked about potential draft--and Mason's--His comments on that is, like, that the military isn't really, from his perspective, they want people who want to be there. You want people, you know, standing next to you who want to be there. So I don't know where that will happen or what will happen for that. But yeah, I'm proud of him and I think that he makes good choices.
01:03:12BONANO: Mm-hmm. Um, you already talked about this a little bit already, but I'll ask again in case you have any new thoughts. So, um, any thoughts on being a veteran? You said that you struggled with identifying as a veteran.
01:03:23HELGERSON: Mm-hmm.
01:03:24BONANO: Um, has that feeling gone away over time?
01:03:26HELGERSON: No.
01:03:27BONANO: Recently?
01:03:28HELGERSON: No, I don't think so. Well, maybe a little bit, but so I'm also, with my church, [wanna??], may have a more active role in honoring our military and so I am going to get flag pins and distribute those to our members of the church who are veterans, but then also to support our young people within our church that are active and how we can support their parents. So we're just really starting to talk about that and what that might look like. So I think the work I do now and the ways that I can be supportive now help relieve that a bit, but you know I have to say this again, it's like this, the "I Am Not Invisible," being a part of this really helped. And the recognition and then the reveal after just really affirmed I am a woman and I am a veteran.
01:04:41BONANO: Did you like meeting the other veterans at the event too?
01:04:43HELGERSON: Yeah! In fact, I knew one person there and she was in two branches of the military and after I was like, "Look at you overachiever!" So.
01:04:53BONANO: Do you know who that was?
01:04:55HELGERSON: Ah! Bobby, uh, Barbara, Barbara Jo.
01:04:57BONANO: Barbara Jo, all right.
01:04:59HELGERSON: Yeah.
01:05:00BONANO: Yeah. Awesome!
01:05:01HELGERSON: And I don't know her well, I've met her through my job, and so we saw each other. And so I do want to reach out, and I would love to support that initiative again, and however I can volunteer, whatever capacity that looks like, you know, spreading the word, and I think it's just so important to get more of these things documented and expressed. I did have, I invited Rochelle's sister to come along, but she's had her own health challenges and is a cancer survivor as well. And so she wasn't able to make it, but I hope that in the future she can participate. And I have a couple other people in my mind that I would love to share this opportunity with. I had met one of Mason's friend's mom's during while he was in grade school. I remember him saying that he wanted Truman's mom to come over and she was an officer in the military and I just went, "What?", and just like had that almost like fear of what she would be like and she's, we ended up being very good friends and she's moved now to Madison, but she's the one who told me about the program, so I do need to reach out to her or the this opportunity and share with her that I did participate. It was very last-minute and I was thinking in my mind like oh this is too much and and even getting prepared like this is important and I really want to be a part of it, so, I would love to support this in the future.
01:06:40BONANO: We're so happy that you support it. Yeah, this is an important initiative. You know, can't say enough about it. I wanted to mention because you showed your picture, your, in your picture you're holding a photo of Rochelle. So because I'm getting to the end of things, I'll give you another chance. We talked about Rochelle almost--.
01:06:55HELGERSON: I know. Well, I would be, it would be remiss to not, you know, it's just such a huge part of it.
01:07:05BONANO: Mm-hmm. So, you felt it was important to have a picture of Rochelle in your photograph because you probably wouldn't have been in the military at all without her, right?
01:07:13HELGERSON: Unh-uh. No. No. Had she not mentioned that, it was not on my radar at all.
01:07:21BONANO: Are you still--because Rachelle had a child before she passed, are you in the, involved with her family still or are you separated?
01:07:31HELGERSON: Unfortunately not, yeah, sad situation, sad story, but, yeah, her family, yeah, they're not able to be a part of her life and, so, I hope that changes someday.
01:07:47BONANO: Okay, thanks for sharing.
01:07:49HELGERSON: Yeah.
01:07:49BONANO: Any thoughts on holidays around Veterans, like Memorial Day or Veterans Day? How do you feel about those holidays?
01:07:56HELGERSON: And that's getting better. So like as we have to, not have to, but we're invited to stand up and be recognized. I'm feeling better about that and being recognized. And I would like to continue that and have that grow. So whether that's within my church or my work life or even in some other opportunities that I'm thinking about how we can also help other people feel better about that.
01:08:27BONANO: Mm-hmm. So what do you think your life would have been like if you never joined the military?
01:08:32HELGERSON: Hum. I don't know. I think it formed, it shaped a lot of that discipline I have, work ethic. I don't know what it would have been like, but I am grateful that I did it. I probably would have taken the same path, only, I don't know. Yeah. And so part of working at Logistics Health, and it was United Health Group, they took a group of us and we got our bachelor's degree. And many of those people were veterans that were in that program, too. They took a cohort of us. And so not only did I have the opportunity to have my early years of education paid for, I was able to get my bachelor's degree, and I don't think that I would have had that opportunity had I not been in the military.
01:09:35BONANO: So you got your bachelor's in what?
01:09:37HELGERSON: My bachelor's is in business management and with a focus on leadership.
01:09:44BONANO: Okay, and you went to what--you went to UW-?
01:09:46HELGERSON: Nope, Capella University.
01:09:47BONANO: Oh, Capell?
01:09:48HELGERSON: Capella.
01:09:49BONANO: Capella University.
01:09:51HELGERSON: Yeah. So it was all online and there was about 30 of us, a cohort that went through the program. And so I think of the--Some of the greatest moments of my life were graduating Basic Training, and, obviously, having my son, and then graduating with my bachelor's degree was just another very significant time.
01:10:14BONANO: It's a huge accomplishment.
01:10:16HELGERSON: Mm-hmm.
01:10:17BONANO: What motivated you to do the interview finally?
01:10:21HELGERSON: I think it really felt like something I had to do. You know, I want to, but I also feel we have the technology now to be documenting these things and I look back on my grandpa, you know, what little we do know and have about that experience and so I think it's so important to be able to document for future family and you know anyone who's really interested in other stories. I have some letters that my grandpa wrote, I don't have them, but we have them in our family that he wrote my grandma and so I think just having those tangible items and I don't have a lot, but you know what I do have is I feel pretty important and significant to share.
01:11:08BONANO: Yeah. Is there anything that you brought that you wanted to show that didn't come up naturally?
01:11:12HELGERSON: No, I think we did.
01:11:14BONANO: You got everything?
01:11:15HELGERSON: Yeah, we think we covered everything.
01:11:16BONANO: Awesome.
01:11:17HELGERSON: Um, yeah.
01:11:18BONANO: Well, again, this is your final chance. Did we miss anything you'd like to cover, any stories, any thoughts you have?
01:11:24HELGERSON: You know I was thinking about it this morning, and I think we did really cover everything.
01:11:29BONANO: Awesome.
01:11:30HELGERSON: Yep.
01:11:31BONANO: Great.
01:11:32HELGERSON: Yeah. Alright.
01:11:33BONANO: So that concludes the interview. Thank you so much, Julie.
01:11:37HELGERSON: Yeah. Thank you for making it easy.
01:11:39BONANO: Thank you.
