Sharon Allen
U.S. Army, Iraq
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Sharon Allen grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. She had what she describes as an idyllic, “Donna-Reed-type” childhood.
Allen joined the National Guard in 2000. She volunteered to go to Iraq, and was deployed there in 2004.
Initially, she served as a fueler for her platoon, which operated heavy equipment like bulldozers, used to construct and improve military bases.
While in Iraq, Allen also became certified to operate heavy equipment.
After coming home, she moved to Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood, and got a job doing precision mechanic work at a beverage can manufacturing plant.
Allen is also a writer, and has published work about her experiences in Iraq.
Former Army Sergeant Sharon Allen works as a mechanic at the Rexam beverage can factory on Chicago’s South Side. She changed during her years in the Army. “Had I come home the same person, I would probably question my humanity,” she said.
The Village, a bar in Canaryville that used to be a VFW Post. When she returned to civilian life, one of Sharon Allen’s most difficult adjustments was driving. "We never stopped, ever at a stop sign,” she said.
The Village is frequented by many veterans. “I was the easiest recruit ever," said Sharon Allen. "I walked into the recruiters office, said, ‘Hey, I’m Sharon. I want to ship out in two weeks.’”
Sharon Allen’s apartment in Bridgeport is filled with memories of baseball and her years in the military.
Sharon Allen greets friends at the Village bar, a former VFW Post. “If I want to go somewhere and I don’t know anybody, I automatically go to a VFW because I’m going to be automatically accepted.”
