Joining the Georgia Army National Guard was Phillip Stringfield’s redemption arc.
“I wanted to be a soldier. I wanted to contribute to the military and to America,” said Stringfield, a Georgia Army National Guard veteran. “I’m very patriotic. I think everybody that can serve, should serve. And it was an honor for me to serve.”
Stringfield was about four years removed from his self-described failure of a stint on active duty when happenstance led him to speak to a Guard recruiter and enlist.
Photo by Senior Airman Jamila A. Haven
His renewed career took him from a private to retiring in 2018 as command sergeant major of the Georgia Army National Guard — a role he sought from day one.
Now, Stringfield is sharing his journey through his debut book, “Faith to Faith: A Warrior’s Story of Resilience, Faith, and Redemption,” which was released Feb. 6.
Six months after his retirement, Stringfield was diagnosed with prostate cancer, which he said is a result of his deployments and exposure to burn pits. His faith led him to write about resiliency, as well as how he navigated depression and became alcohol-free.
“[There were] redeeming qualities I had to bring back,” he said, “and all through the book that’s what I want to share with people. That it’s OK to be not OK.”
Stringfield, who has been diagnosed with PTSD, said he also tries to impress upon service members the culture shift they will face when they leave the military.
“To this day, I can’t [sit] with my back turned in a restaurant … and it’s OK to be that way, and that’s what I share with warriors,” he said. “You might not ever change from being in that, and that’s OK. But you have to start letting go, and that’s the part of the book that I talk about redemption and faith. You have to start back believing in society, believing in things around you, … and start redeeming yourself and crossing back over into the civilian world.”
But he stressed that it’s not a quick process.
“I try to let people know it’s not going to be overnight that you’re going to be able to just flip the switch and become a civilian again,” Stringfield said. “It doesn’t happen that way.”
Not even for traditional guardsmen. They still have a void to fill, according to Stringfield, who ended his career in Active Guard Reserve.
“If not through your military family that’s retired, through your civilian family or whatever you used to do,” he said. “You have to fill that void that you’re walking away from. And sometimes it’s not easy for people to fill that void.”
Even as “the most senior enlisted” role in the state, Stringfield said he was unprepared to leave the military, making him wonder how junior noncommissioned officers handle the transition.
Which is why his book also breaks down areas that service members need to account for in their post-military goals, such as education and finances, alongside using military benefits, such as VA home loans, while they’re still eligible.
Stringfield’s overarching goal with the book, he said, is for readers to come away knowing their story doesn’t have to define them.
“Don’t let it be the every ending of you. I tell my children, I tell people I talk to every day, it’s alright to be in a struggle,” he said. “Don’t stay in the struggle.”
“Faith to Faith: A Warrior’s Story of Resilience, Faith, and Redemption” is available on Amazon in hardback, paperback and as an audiobook.
Visit Patriot Seven for more information, or to book Stringfield for a book signing or speaking event.
