KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Randy Livengood served in not one, but two branches of the military. He enlisted at 17 in the Army and 12 years later he switched to the Air Force. He would be an officer for 11 more years before transitioning to civilian life.
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Livengood served overseas in Afghanistan from 2009-2010 in Kabul. He said his mind still travels to his Afghan brothers and sisters there.
“I was a mentor to the medical logistics command there and served with some really great young soldiers in the Afghan army,” Livengood said. “I got to know a lot of them, a lot of their families, a lot of little children and little kids everywhere in Afghanistan, so I have a lot of fond memories of that. So Veterans Day is always very special to me.”
Now, Livengood works at the Kansas City Veteran Affairs. He said with more than 20 years working within the military, it is hard to leave that part of his life behind.
“To be a veteran to me means knowing that I'm part of something bigger than myself. It's the whole reason I still work in the veteran community,” Livengood said. “I wanted to be around veterans with the camaraderie people with similar backgrounds as me and people had served as I had served and that's why I'll stay here forever.”
Livengood reminds people to take time this Veterans Day to thank the men and women who served or currently serve our country.
“Our society is a free society. And that is something that isn't guaranteed forever. That's won every generation at a time,” Livengood said.
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