‘We Can Still Serve’
Margarita Overton works at the Little Rock Air Force Base in Jacksonville as the integrated prevention and response director.
For her, helping airmen lead healthy lives is personal.
“My whole career was associated with the military,” she said.
Overton’s father joined the military and was stationed in Greece, where he met Overton’s mother. He later transitioned back to the states, and Overton was born in Columbus, Ohio. They soon moved back to Greece, where Overton grew up for 13 years.
After she graduated high school, she attended the University of Houston but did not do well with her studies at first.
“I went from being an honor roll student in high school to being on academic probation,” she said. “My mother said, ‘You’re going backward,’ because she felt like I wasn’t doing what I should be.”
Overton decided to meet with an Air Force recruiter to prove her mother wrong.
“That’s how I joined the Air Force,” she said, “but I had one more semester of college because I was on delayed enlistment. This just made me turn my head around, and I did better in school.”
Overton quickly realized how serious the path she had chosen was.
“I had an overseas assignment in the Azores, and that’s what changed it for me because Desert Shield and Desert Storm kicked off while I was there,” she said. “It made me stop and say, ‘I’m in the military, and I could die for my country.’”
She was later deployed to Germany and then Kosovo, Bosnia and Qatar. Her final duty assignment took her to Little Rock.
“A lot of people are hesitant about retiring from the military,” she said. “I just always say that we can always still serve. I’m still doing something that’s impactful, and I’m proud of my military service.”
During her time serving, she was the first woman in many positions she found herself in.
“I think the thing that makes me a little bit sad when I think about it is that I was the first here and the first there,” she said. “When I retired, I was the first female command chief they had had in the 19th Airlift Wing.”
Overton said she is glad to see how the military has changed and became better for women over the years, but her feelings are complicated.
“I wish that [being a woman] would not have to come into the conversation,” she said. “I’m not here because I’m a woman. I’m here because I have the leadership skills and the commanders saw something in me that they wanted to have on their teams.”
Overton was only retired for a few months before she took on a new role at the base. Today, she works to make sure airmen feel comfortable once they return from duty and to ensure their families feel supported, as well.
“Our airmen experience some things overseas that could impact them psychologically,” she said. “What we want to focus on is making sure that our airmen coming back know how much they are appreciated and know what to do if they’re experiencing stress.”
Overton encouraged airmen to seek help if they need it, which she knows can be difficult.
“They’re so committed to doing their jobs, and love what they do and feeling like they’re a part of the mission,” she said, “but it’s so important for them to get care.”
When Overton is not working at the base, she is working on her Ph.D. She decided to pursue the degree after attending a seminar where the speaker encouraged the attendees to do something outside of their comfort zone. “It’s scary for me, but I’m enjoying it,” she said.
(Photo provided by LRAFB)
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