Find Nicholas Grettler’s display at Shepherd’s Heart Ministries, 13 Pride Street.
“When I joined the military, I was separated from my friends and family. I was forced to rely on things that are not physical: my country and my faith in God.”
I joined the military and it helped me understand about what it was like to be American. It made me understand what type of sacrifice Americans give, because you get separated from your friends and family. You’re forced to rely on things that are not physical. When I joined the military, I was reliant on what the image of my country was and faith in God.
I was in avionics. I fixed F-15’s. It’s versatile inside the military. They do a good job of teaching and offering hands-on experience. You work with different types of people. I was in active duty for five and a half years, then served in the PA National Guard for three years. When I got out, I went to school. I’m trying to figure out what I’m supposed to do now. I had problems going to school because it didn’t really make sense. All I was doing was flipping pages. It was easier to teach myself something.
I looked for a job because I was really bored in school, so I applied at a Korean restaurant. I applied as a sushi chef, and they called me back, and said, “If you want to wash dishes, you can wash dishes,” so I washed dishes for a while. Then they slowly started training me on how they did sushi and hibachi. That’s when I started to understand what it was like outside of the military. People come from other countries and trying to start businesses in America. They had difficulties because of language barriers, policies, politics, working with other business, and then how they interact with communities, and other religions. They feel outside pressures. At the end of the day, it’s everyone’s ability to communicate. I started seeing it from different angles.
Always Made New 