What Army Right Behind Us means to me
11:24 AM
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Hi! I’m Karlie and I’m
President and Executive Director at Army Right Behind Us INC. Running a non-profit to help others has always been a dream of mine. I can remember telling my mom at a young age that feeding the homeless was something I enjoyed doing. Our church would help host soup kitchens and I always got to meet some of the coolest people. As I got older, I realized that not only could I help others just within the state I live in, but around the world. When I was 25, I took my first mission trip into Haiti where I got to work with kids of all ages, while also making a difference in their community. I did the same about 2 years later in the Dominican where I was able to help build a church for a local village close to camp.
However, since the pandemic started, all of that had changed. My family and I weren’t able to work in other countries and everything came to a screeching halt. It really saddened me because I didn’t know how I could help others, especially in a time where so many in the world are going through a really tough time. Now you’re probably wondering: how does all of this tie into BTS? Well, I’m a musician and singer. I love music of all kinds and for me, music has no limits; It’s healing to me. Now, I’ll admit: I was never a fan of BTS. I had heard about them so many times but I never gave them the time of day. Back in March was when I heard “Dynamite” for the very first time. But to be brutally honest- I thought it was overkill. The radios were playing it on the hour and every hour and after about the 10th time hearing it, I was done. I admittedly said I didn’t get the hype about them. But boy, did good karma find its way back to me. Around May, I had been going through a really tough time in my life. My grandmother had just suffered a stroke, I was in between homes and terrified I wouldn’t find a place affordable to live, and I was just about between jobs. I had never felt any immense stress like I was during those times. I was terrified of multiple things and I didn’t know how to prepare. One day I was scrolling through
TikTok and out of no where, the “Dynamite” performance from the Tiny Desk Concert was on my FYP. I watched that same part over and over, finding myself smiling at the screen from ear to ear at Jimin singing his little “dyna-nana-na-nana-nana aye!” It was the happiest I had felt in a really long time. “Butter” came out within that same week and that was when I KNEW I was Army. Suddenly, my grandma was doing a lot better, I got the house I wanted, and I felt fairly stable at my job. So for me, being an Army and loving BTS is what saved me. I know they’ve done the same for so many around the world too; saved a lot of us during our darkest moments and I wanted a way to show that Army too can save you! I wanted to give the same love back that so many Army have shown me in the short time I’ve been in this fandom. I knew people were going through a tough time and if there was anything I could do, I wanted to do it. So that is why my friends and I started Army Right Behind Us. We’re here to spread love, give back, and help to build a community where YOU can make a difference! I can easily say: I’m so proud to be Army! Borahae