Martika Evans and Ian Gonzalez

[00:00] MARTIKA EVANS: Go. Hi, my name is Martika Evans I go by Tika. I am 34 years old. Today is August 10, 2023. We're in Savannah, Georgia, and I'm with my interview partner, Ian

[00:21] IAN GONZALEZ: My name is Ian Gonzalez I'm 26 years old. Today's date is August 10 10th, 2023. We're in the Savannah library. The name of my interview partner is Tika. Yeah, she's my interview partner. So I know we just met, but I'm really curious for you to tell me a little bit about where you grew up and how your childhood was. Like, I know you said Savannah, right?

[00:47] MARTIKA EVANS: Yep.

[00:48] IAN GONZALEZ: Can you talk to me? Like, was that the city? Were you in sort of more of the outskirts? Where did you grow up?

[00:55] MARTIKA EVANS: Yeah, I was right in the city. East Savannah State streets, Mississippi Avenue, 39th street is. Well, I guess it's inner city. It was pretty cool. I remember last night, I was talking to one of my friends about it, how it was just so freeing that we got to just walk in where I would walk to checkers, get a milkshake or a spicy chicken sandwich for $0.99. In elementary school, you know, like, walking to the fast food restaurant. In elementary school, I can't imagine my kids walking to fast food right down the street from my house. So that was one of the good things I liked while Savannah, my childhood.

[01:39] IAN GONZALEZ: Awesome.

[01:40] MARTIKA EVANS: Yeah.

[01:46] IAN GONZALEZ: If you think back, was there sort of a most important figure in your childhood? You'd say someone that you like, either a friend, a family member, someone you feel like you learned a lot from?

[02:00] MARTIKA EVANS: I'll have to say maybe. You know, I liked Oprah. I only liked her because she had to talk show, and I talked a lot. So I'm like, you know what? I like her. And she offered different perspectives to people with her audiences. It just wasn't one sided view. It was definitely, like, multiple views of perspective, of scenarios, people, things like that. I really liked Oprah.

[02:21] IAN GONZALEZ: Cool.

[02:22] MARTIKA EVANS: Yeah.

[02:22] IAN GONZALEZ: And what would you do for fun? I know you'd kind of wander around and the freedom to just kind of go and buy things. Is that what you did mostly, or is there other hobbies you picked up in childhood?

[02:33] MARTIKA EVANS: Yeah. So right there in East Savannah, we had a skating ring. So Saturday nights we went to the skating ring. Actually, nobody skated. A lot of people. Some people skated, but we was mostly on the side dancing. It was more like a teen club. So we would walk there one time. We would walk there. A couple of my friends, I remember one time, my mom, my friends, her mom would drop us off and pick us up. But this time she didn't. And my mom picked up the boys, and they rolled by us, laughing like, everybody get your walk on. Everybody get your walk on. Cause he was walking back from the thing. But, yeah, it was pretty cool. And then on the summers, I would go to my family's house in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Most of my family is in Carlisle. So summer, same thing. We walk to the movie theater, walk to the swimming pool. We would do things like that.

[03:28] IAN GONZALEZ: So that's interesting. The skating rink was like the all ages club, right? They didn't cars you so you could go right in.

[03:35] MARTIKA EVANS: Yep. Yep. My brother reminded me he was in kindergarten. We would take him in kindergarten. He with us. He was like. I was sitting there dancing. I was not supposed to be there.

[03:46] IAN GONZALEZ: So did anyone learn how to skate?

[03:48] MARTIKA EVANS: Yeah, we all know how to skate.

[03:49] IAN GONZALEZ: You know how to skate.

[03:50] MARTIKA EVANS: Just at the time we skate, we still know how to skate.

[03:54] IAN GONZALEZ: That's funny.

[03:55] MARTIKA EVANS: It's pretty cool.

[03:57] IAN GONZALEZ: And how was high school like and then transitioning to the military? Did you go right after high school, or was this something that you decided to do later on?

[04:07] MARTIKA EVANS: So, in maybe my sophomore year in high school, they started redistricting some people, so I wasn't. No, actually, I ended up moving. They redistrict, and I end up moving to outside of Savannah, Port Wentworth, where. So I switched high schools to groves, which was kind of more West Havana. And when we went there. Dang, I can't. I can't even went to. Yeah, yeah. When I switched schools, then. No, no, before that, I was in ROTC at Savannah. At Savannah High. I went to ROTC. I kind of didn't like it. I didn't like it at all. I was on the little drum line. They had, like, a little ROTC band. I would do that, but I didn't last long. Maybe a couple months. I think, you know, too much outside, and I end up leaving. I was like, no, I don't like this. So then when I transfer, I didn't go back into the ROTC program. I just. I don't know what I did. I think I just was regular. But it wasn't until I didn't end up joining until my freshman year in college where a recruiter was, oh, I was working at Wendy's in Port Wentworth. And so my freshman year in college, I still worked at Wendy's. So I could just keep having some money or whatever. And when I transferred up there, one of my friends, she joined and she said, hey, you know, they give you $500 a month or whatever. If you go this one weekend out of the month and you do this and, you know, like, well, you know, I'm working at Wendy's. I might as well just go ahead and, like, transfer to the military. And I always thought my main thing was, like, at least you're doing it for a purpose instead of yourself, like, doing something for other people. I was like, you know what? At least I have a purpose this time versus Wendy's, you know? You know, Wendy's is a purpose, too, now, so. But I was just really like, no, I want to go for purpose. I want to have a purpose and live. Oh, that's what it was. Live for something. Oh, live for anything or die for something. Something like that. A quote I had read. And it was kind of like, oh, yeah, this is good. I want to die for something. For a purpose.

[06:15] IAN GONZALEZ: Yeah, totally.

[06:17] MARTIKA EVANS: Yeah.

[06:17] IAN GONZALEZ: Before we get into more of the military experience and sort of discovering that purpose, which I think is such a cool word for that, I wanted to check in about how was it crazy to just all of a sudden get redistricted and have to move to a different high school? What was that experience like? Do you remember that?

[06:40] MARTIKA EVANS: Yeah, mostly because I think the craziest thing was, I've always went to mostly black schools, so when I would switch schools, this school had a little bit more white people in Ithoodae. And I just remember it kind of still was a culture shock. Maybe. Like, maybe the white girls was like. I was like. And she was like. And I was like, you know, like how they want to be on tv, and I was like, oh, shoot. They really talk like this. And I was thinking, they probably think that's why they think we talk like that. Cause it's really, like. It is on tv. So that was kind of a little culture shock, you know, like, okay, going to all black school, then to, you know, like, it's mixed. It wasn't all the way white, but it was. It was mixed. It was, like, mostly black and white. And then savannah high, it was all about fashion. The black school, like, everybody coming with the Jordans, you know, which Jordans was released because everybody gonna have them on this school. It was not like that. Like, nobody cared about no Jordans. Everybody come to school any kind of way, and. But it was more relaxing, you know, like, okay, cool. Like, okay, we just. Here. So, yeah, that was the only thing. Big change. But I was driving at that time, too, so it really didn't impact me. It's not like I had to get on the bus. Or anything.

[07:52] IAN GONZALEZ: Yeah.

[07:53] MARTIKA EVANS: And I was still working with the same people. It was cool.

[07:57] IAN GONZALEZ: Cool. And I'm curious why you didn't like ROTC.

[08:06] MARTIKA EVANS: It's probably like the same out of the military. You know, you still have that hierarchy where you got, like, this main person just telling you, you know, like just trying to tell you what to do. Like, oh, you're not dressed right. Dress so you're not this. And, like, they yelling in your face. I'm like, I don't like this, but it wasn't that bad. But I was just like, nah, mm mm. It was easy to learn. Like, and that's the same thing that was easy to do. But, you know, it's still, like, a structured, a certain way that you have to maintain.

[08:35] IAN GONZALEZ: Totally, totally. So I'm curious, what did you, I guess now moving back to deciding to join the military, you know, that that word purpose used a couple times, which I thought was really cool. Did you know what your purpose was going to be when you made that decision? Or was that kind of more of a leap of faith and you just knew that you had to do something? You know what I mean?

[09:03] MARTIKA EVANS: Yeah. I think last time, I remember elementary school, I was kind of like, I want to be a doctor slash lawyer slash judge slash president of the United States. Right? I don't know why I wanted to be a doctor. Maybe to help people. Same thing with a lawyer, to help people. So I knew I wanted to help other people when I decided to do the military. I think it was just kind of like, oh, well, you know, again, I can have a purpose and help people, and this is easier than, you know, lawyer. You think about school. Dang, I'm gonna have to go through all those years of school. Same thing with doctors, same thing with judge. And then you look at the. Actually, I think when I joined, Barack Obama was the first black president. At that time, I was. He. Yeah, I think he was. I joined in 2008, and, you know, I went there and I was just kind of happy about that. Maybe that that was a really motivating factor, but I know I didn't want to be president anymore. It's like, no, I guess when you grow up, you're kind of like, no, this is for what? Why would I want to do this? Why would I want to lead these people?

[10:09] IAN GONZALEZ: Totally. And did you have to, it seems like you were able to still study, too, right? And then just kind of do training on weekends, or did you have to put your studying aside for a while?

[10:20] MARTIKA EVANS: Absolutely.

[10:21] IAN GONZALEZ: Yeah.

[10:23] MARTIKA EVANS: Yeah. So I think I ended up joining April. I graduated high school 2007, and then I graduated 2007. I went to basic in maybe May. I joined in 2008, April 2008, so maybe I was going by May. So it was the summertime. I didn't get back to October, so I missed that first, that first semester coming back. Wow. I think I went back the fall, that the next semester, but definitely, like, once you were in there, especially the Army National Guard, it wasn't how they said it was, you know, like, oh, well, you spend this money, but now it's like, oh, the mission is first. So, yep, if you got school, but we got training. Bye bye, school. At first, sometimes, depending on your leadership, they would allow you, like, you know, no, this person can't go because they have summer school. I think a lot of people was in that situation, so they stopped. Oh, and I. Oh, this is the bigger one. I forgot this. I got a $20,000 bonus.

[11:28] IAN GONZALEZ: Wow.

[11:29] MARTIKA EVANS: Yeah, I got a $20,000 bonus for joining. You get ten, right? When you do, maybe at the basic in a it, and then you get the other ten after I signed up for six years, so maybe after the third year, then you get the other ten. I got other $10,000 bonus. So that's what it was. I was like, I want me a new car. I had a Honda Civic, and I was like, I want a new car, and I'm buying a Mustang.

[11:52] IAN GONZALEZ: Wow. Oh, so this is a big change.

[11:55] MARTIKA EVANS: Yeah.

[11:55] IAN GONZALEZ: Bought the Mustang with the first 10,000, right?

[11:58] MARTIKA EVANS: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[11:59] IAN GONZALEZ: So, wow. So you start, you start college, you're working at Wendy's.

[12:05] MARTIKA EVANS: Yeah.

[12:05] IAN GONZALEZ: Then all of a sudden, you're driving a Honda. Yeah. And now all of a sudden you're driving a Mustang.

[12:11] MARTIKA EVANS: Actually, I had a Mustang first, and I wrecked it. A GT Mustang. That was my first when my stepdad gave me his car. So then when we. That's what made me that. When we moved, I was driving to Savannah, but I got in a car accident, and then my mom was like, nah, you can't now. You can go to Groves now. I had to transfer to Groves. And then since I raked the Mustang GT, then I had to get, I don't know, they didn't give me the Honda til afterwards, but, oh, I just drive one of their older cars then. So, yeah, I went from there. And then for my graduation gift, my mom gave me a Honda. And I was like, well, what about my mustang? So, yep, I went. Got the hunt. I meant, yo, got my bonus. My mom was like, you need to buy. Put it in a real estate. You need to buy some kind of property and you can have it. I was like, I don't. I can live in my car. I can live in my car. So I bought a mustang.

[13:08] IAN GONZALEZ: Do you remember that day? All of a sudden, looking at your bank account and seeing $10,000 more money than the day before? And do you remember actually buying that car? Like, did you buy it same day?

[13:18] MARTIKA EVANS: No, it was like. It was actually was tax. So I only got like, 7000. I got 7000. So, yeah, I remember doing the paperwork, like the trading my Honda, Ford, and. Yep. Just going and get it. It wasn't even a GT, not a little bit. Like, why did I get that mustang? It wasn't even. Nothing fast. It was a pony.

[13:45] IAN GONZALEZ: So. So how was. How was training? How was that whole experience? Was that sort of like you see in the movies? Was that really physically taxing and grueling or more laid back?

[13:59] MARTIKA EVANS: I felt like I. And I went in the middle of the summer, and I think it was my birthday. My birthday is July 3, so I remember having a birthday. Really? Yeah.

[14:07] IAN GONZALEZ: That's crazy.

[14:08] MARTIKA EVANS: You're July 3. I heard that. Yep. July 3. Yeah. So it was a minute summer. Oh, well, happy belated birthday.

[14:14] IAN GONZALEZ: Thank you. You as well. That's. What a coincidence, right?

[14:17] MARTIKA EVANS: Was it the same year? No, you said you was 20 something.

[14:20] IAN GONZALEZ: 26. Yeah.

[14:21] MARTIKA EVANS: Oh, yeah. I know. I'm 89, so.

[14:23] IAN GONZALEZ: 89?

[14:23] MARTIKA EVANS: Yep.

[14:24] IAN GONZALEZ: That's crazy, though. That's.

[14:25] MARTIKA EVANS: Wow.

[14:26] IAN GONZALEZ: Right?

[14:26] MARTIKA EVANS: That is pretty cool. But no, like, I remember it was kind of. I don't want to say it was boring, but I felt. No, I felt like it was good because we didn't. Maybe it wasn't as bad, but I do remember going to sleep. Like, you have to keep watching. We was in a circle one time. We would keep watch looking out. I would just go to sleep. I always. I would asleep. I would. I don't. I don't think I ever just kind of, like, just had this, like, okay, I got to do this. Even in the mornings when we had to get up at a certain time, I would be the last one up. I would. We. A lot of us, we just sleep in our shirt, sleeping our shirts and whatever. So you just get up, put on your uniform. I would do that. I would not. I was the last one. I was never. I've never been a morning person.

[15:11] IAN GONZALEZ: And at night, how late would you have, like, your post was at three in the morning. Was that super late?

[15:18] MARTIKA EVANS: So sometimes we just kind of know, like, sometimes we would have QC where, like, one person have to stay up at night and watch everybody. But again, I would be asleep. Everybody else sleep. I'm asleep. And I just kind of hope for the best that a drill sergeant ain't coming at that time. No, I never get caught. I don't. I can't remember exactly how I would set it up, but, um, knowing the drill sergeant never came in on me. Except maybe. No, no, no. I think one thing I didn't like was, you know, when we. Right when you come in, they are yelling in your face and they want you to say, like, yes, drill sergeant. That's when they start teaching you to say, yes, drill sergeant, instead of, yeah, no, or whatever. Like, if you said no without saying drill sergeant, then, you know, it's like, oh, you think you cool? You think we buddies? I'm not your buddy, and I talk too much, so I just always felt quiet. Or I try to always go to the back and stand behind somebody. Again, I'm only four foot 1011, so I would get behind somebody else and just kind of act like I'm not. Right.

[16:30] IAN GONZALEZ: That's a good strategy right there. Actually, unfortunately, one I can't get away with.

[16:34] MARTIKA EVANS: Right. You can't.

[16:38] IAN GONZALEZ: So. So do you think that's kind of just more your personality, maybe a little bit more laid back?

[16:43] MARTIKA EVANS: Yeah.

[16:44] IAN GONZALEZ: So was that an adjustment that you feel like you met? Like, did you all of a sudden have to get comfortable waking up really early, or do you kind of feel like you did it your way?

[16:54] MARTIKA EVANS: Yeah, I kind of did it my way during basic, but then I also just had good battle buddies, you know, like, we matter of fact, one battle buddy, like, whatever you did, you had to have a battle buddy with you that was just somebody else, probably the same sex. If you're a male, you got a male battle buddy. So if you go talk to anybody, if you do anything at basic, you have to have a battle buddy with you. And I remember one girl, she told me, she said, Evans I can't be your battle buddy no more. You get in trouble too much, I guess. You know, I was thinking I didn't get in trouble, but now I think about it, she said that one of my better buddies, we still talk to this day, Shay. And she has two kids. But me and her, like, you know, she was like, we still call each other like, that's my battle. That's my battle. Instead of battle buddy, we just say battle. But me and her, she's an Oklahoma National Guard, too.

[17:40] IAN GONZALEZ: So before we get into shade, do you remember what got you in trouble? So much that your battle buddy said, no, we can't do this anymore.

[17:49] MARTIKA EVANS: I think I would just kind of talk or, like, you know, if we stay in the chow line, the child line, they go eat, maybe I would kind of cut the line sometimes. So if I'm at the back, then I try to hurry up, get to the front so I can hurry up and eat. Or, you know, if you at the front, then maybe it's longer to eat than if you're at the back of the line, you don't have much longer. So maybe I tried to cut. And I remember one time, my mom, I wrote her because we could, we can only talk on the phone on Sundays, and then you can still write people. But I wrote my mom one time, and we couldn't eat candy. Like, you couldn't have candy or anything like that. So I told my mom one time, I said, hey, I wrote her, I said, can you send me some candy? Maybe I needed socks. I don't know if I needed socks, but I said, get some socks, put the candy in the socks and then send them. She put the candy. She put this, the candy, like, the pack of socks above the candy. So when they checked the box, they saw, they was like, oh, we got the drill sergeant. It's like, oh, we're gonna have a party tonight with this candy. I was like, my mom didn't listen to me. I said, put them in the socks.

[19:00] IAN GONZALEZ: That's awesome.

[19:01] MARTIKA EVANS: So, you know, like, that would be one thing. So I probably had to like, so if you. So if I had to do push ups or flutter kicks or whatever, then. Then your battle has to do with you. So that's why she didn't like it, you know? So whatever happened to you happened to your battle buddy, too. So, like, maybe with that, I probably had to do flutter kicks or, like, push ups, you know? What did they say? Front lean, reposition move. Front lean, front lean. I can't even remember it right now. And then they just say that, and then you move and you get in a. The push up position, and then when they say golden, that's when you start the push ups. So maybe that happened a lot. Maybe. I probably. I don't know what I did. I probably just. Maybe you ain't got, you know, your stuff together maybe late to formation, even if you like the last one. Do you gotta do push ups or flutter kicks? So, yeah, maybe that happened a lot. Tika, you were saying you were only able to use the phone or call call folks once a week, is that right? Yeah. What was that like? That seems hard. I don't know. I don't think it was as hard because they was working. It wasn't hard to talk to your family once a week because he was busy. We wake up early and we probably are out later. So you literally just have time to come back, shower, and we still had to do our own laundry. That was on Sunday. Sunday we would probably call on Sundays. You could choose to go to religious service or you stay back and clean. And that's when I figured that out too. You clean, you hurry up, go to sleep. You go back to sleep. But if you go to religious services, you had to go there, walk there, walk back. So I stopped going to religious service and staying in the buried and taking naps. We will hurry up and clean and go to sleep. You may have one person look out to make sure drill Sergeant isn't coming. The person who's not going to go to sleep, and no one gonna be me. So that's how I kinda, you know, I just found ways to make it work for me.

[21:03] IAN GONZALEZ: I wanted to go back to Shay. Do you remember a moment where you guys realized that you were gonna be really good friends for a while?

[21:12] MARTIKA EVANS: I met her at the airport before we even. Before we even got too basic. And I think we just connected right then and there too, so. Or she said we were bump mates. I think she was right above me and I was on the bottom bunk, so maybe even then we just clicked. Even at the airport she was like, yeah, I remember you at the airport. I don't really remember faces like that, but I didn't really remember her too much at the airport. But I do once we started talking, remember, this is gonna be cool.

[21:44] IAN GONZALEZ: Do you remember what you first connected over?

[21:47] MARTIKA EVANS: She always tell me she remember the first time she saw me and. No, no, when we was in the Barrett's and I think maybe she had a picture of her boyfriend and she shades black, so when she said, when she had her boyfriend, I said, oh, you got a white boyfriend? She always talked about how I was just like, oh, you got a white boyfriend? That's the one thing she always remembered me saying. And that always, you know, like got smoked during basic. And actually. So the base, the basic was at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. And then me and her went to our AIt, which is the training for our job. And Fort Lee, Virginia, we went together there too. So yeah, we was together from basic what basic was eight weeks. And then I think the Virginia was to October, so I think that was twelve weeks so we was together.

[22:41] IAN GONZALEZ: Wow.

[22:42] MARTIKA EVANS: Most of that time.

[22:44] IAN GONZALEZ: And was she kind of like you? Laid back, appreciates a good nap.

[22:48] MARTIKA EVANS: I don't know if she napped, but she did braid, actually, so I like that I would get her to braid my hair in basic, like, just straight back. Yeah. Wow. Yeah. And was it just by chance that.

[22:59] IAN GONZALEZ: You both went to Fort Lee for aat or.

[23:03] MARTIKA EVANS: I know. Yeah. Yeah. It was just by chance again, she was from the Oklahoma guardhouse, so we. I think her layover was in Atlanta or. I don't even. No, no, no. Maybe we went to the airport before we went to. Before we went to Fort Lee. Fort Lee. Because, I mean, not Fort Lee, Fort Jackson. Cause I don't even know how. Yeah, we didn't fly together. I wasn't on a flight. Maybe we just went to pick the Oklahoma people up from there, and then we all went to South Carolina. I seen as I went. Do you remember when you found out that you were gonna go to Fort Lee together? Was that. Were you guys excited? No, I don't remember how that found out, but I know. And one of her, her very best friend, too, was also in basic, but she was at Fort Leonard Wood, so then her best friend came to Fort Lee with us, too, so it was like, oh, actually. And my high school sweetheart, he left two before me, and he left for. We both. I joined before him, but he left for basic. He went to Fort Leonard, and then we both end up at Fort Lee together, too. So that was pretty cool. Like, in the same classroom, everything. Wow. Yeah. We graduated high school together, but that was. We probably broke up a couple years after that.

[24:21] IAN GONZALEZ: Was that awkward? Like, oh, my God, you're here.

[24:23] MARTIKA EVANS: Like, and we were like, boyfriend and girlfriend at the time, so. No, it wasn't. We were so happy to see each other, but, you know, as male, female, they still kind of separate us, but we were so happy, like, you know, like, so the weekends we could be together if we had a break or, like, if any cookout. Like, we was in the same classroom together, so we really. Man, we really liked that.

[24:42] IAN GONZALEZ: Wow.

[24:42] MARTIKA EVANS: Yeah.

[24:44] IAN GONZALEZ: So how was your military experience post training? What happened next?

[24:53] MARTIKA EVANS: Yeah, so I went. I was. Maybe I was still living in Savannah or Statesboro because I went to Georgia Southern on campus. I was at Statesboro. Somehow, the recruiter I had, he was really nice. Maybe he knew I was working at wendy's. They said, you know, I was. I got stationed at Fort Gilliam, so I would still have to drive to, actually, me and my ex at the time, Warren, we would drive up there together. They would give us a hotel if you lived over 50 miles. So we would go there. That would just be, like, a fun weekend. And then eventually, they was needing people, like. Like, now. Like, okay, hey, we got money. We got days. We need people up here to work. And that's how I got most of my experience. I came there. We did it. I mean, um, I would come there, work a couple. Couple months or a couple weeks, and then come back down here, and eventually I just end up moving there, and I transferred to Clayton State.

[25:49] IAN GONZALEZ: Wow.

[25:50] MARTIKA EVANS: Yeah.

[25:50] IAN GONZALEZ: Wow. Wow.

[25:52] MARTIKA EVANS: But then I ended up going back to Georgia Southern, finishing my degree, so. Yeah.

[25:57] IAN GONZALEZ: Interesting. So, sorry. You ended up working where, again?

[26:01] MARTIKA EVANS: Tell me f or Gilliam.

[26:02] IAN GONZALEZ: For Gill.

[26:03] MARTIKA EVANS: Yeah.

[26:03] IAN GONZALEZ: Okay. And was that full time?

[26:05] MARTIKA EVANS: Yep, partially. It was still. It was kind of like it was full time, but it's temporary. They call them orders. Like, you'll be on active duty orders for however month, how much? They have money. So they have money for. To keep somebody on for six months. It'll be six months. Or maybe they'll start you off with three months, and I. And then if they still have money, then they'll. If it's in a budget, then they'll give you another three months, and that's how. That's how I've been, actually, somebody told me it's called guard bumming, because, you know, like, for a minute, you can, like, if they do that and you do it for six months and you don't work for six months, or you could work your civilian job for six months with me, I wasn't. I don't think I had a civilian job at the time, so that's what I would do. Like, I would just be on six months, you know, pay my card note or do whatever, and then not work for six months. But 15 years later, I'm kind of still doing the same thing.

[26:56] IAN GONZALEZ: Cool. Cool.

[26:57] MARTIKA EVANS: Kind of doing the same thing.

[26:58] IAN GONZALEZ: Is that. Are you able to save enough during the first six months? How is that like, that second six months? What do you end up doing in that time when you're not working?

[27:09] MARTIKA EVANS: So, when I was still in school, then I would just focus on school, you know, like, okay, now I don't have it. And then maybe even with school, if I. If I noticed my money wasn't gonna be. If things wasn't going to be in a budget, then I would. Then I would. That's when I would get a student loan. Like, you know, like, okay, well, I see I'm about to cut. So let me get a loan from financial aid and then live like that. So I was really living off drill. I'm, you know the drill. And student loans.

[27:36] IAN GONZALEZ: Cool.

[27:36] MARTIKA EVANS: Yeah.

[27:37] IAN GONZALEZ: And then when did you become a mother?

[27:40] MARTIKA EVANS: In 2014.

[27:44] IAN GONZALEZ: Wow.

[27:45] MARTIKA EVANS: 2014. And that's when things changed, too, because I think before I became a mom, I wanted to deploy. Like, we would train so much when I was at Fort Gillen. We would come down here to Fort Stewart. We come to Fort Stewart, train. Okay, we're going to get deployed. So we doing pre deployment training. And again, I'm missing school because we're doing pre deployment training. But we were never going nowhere. It was like, oh, no, they took the tasking down. Oh, no, we can't go. And I wasted now. Wasted a semester. I could have been in school doing it eventually, like, maybe after, like, two or three years, and we doing it then that's when I started to become. It was demotivating. Like, okay, no, I don't want to do this training anymore, so. But before kids, I wanted to then. Now once I had my daughter came, I'm like, I don't want to go nowhere now.

[28:33] IAN GONZALEZ: So you wanted to be deployed for three years, or.

[28:36] MARTIKA EVANS: I want to be. Yeah, yeah. I want to be deployed. Like, for however y'all want to deploy, I want to go. So I can say with the army, if you was deployed, you were patched, your deployment patch under the flag. So it was just kind of like, you know, who was deployed? Because you went somewhere, and I felt like, army, you really wasn't recognized as a soldier. Soldier. If you ain't going nowhere, especially national guard, like, oh, man, you only come on a weekend, and you ain't deployed nowhere.

[29:03] IAN GONZALEZ: Yeah.

[29:04] MARTIKA EVANS: Oh, you nobody.

[29:05] IAN GONZALEZ: So was that sort of, like a purpose conversation still?

[29:09] MARTIKA EVANS: Yeah. Yeah. I think that was kind of like, that was that purpose. And then once I had children, like, maybe now I know because I got a one year old now. It's like, you know, maybe now that my children are nine and seven, then I can do that. But I have a one year old, and I kind of feel the same way. Like, I would want to wait till they're old enough to know, hey, I'm gone for these months, because I don't know, you know, like, you don't know how communication is going to be or, you know, the time difference is a big thing, so. But air force, they don't deploy as long as army did either.

[29:40] IAN GONZALEZ: Yeah, yeah, yeah. So how old were you when you became a mother? And what was the. What was that experience? Like, all of a sudden becoming a mother, you know, I cannot imagine all of a sudden having a kid to take care of. Was that an adjustment? Was that a purpose conversation?

[30:02] MARTIKA EVANS: How. Okay, how do. I was maybe 25, 20? Yeah, 25. I think it was. It was. I don't know. It was. It was just regular. I was just like, okay, yeah, I'm pregnant. Yeah.

[30:22] IAN GONZALEZ: Yeah, totally.

[30:23] MARTIKA EVANS: Yeah. Yeah. But she is. I think I was just kind of on top of everything, too. Like, okay, well, I was living in Atlanta, so I was happy about that. But again, everything just changed. You still got to know, like, doctors appointments, visits, everything, which is kind of like, oh, my gosh, it's not about you anymore.

[30:45] IAN GONZALEZ: Do you have any regrets when it comes to service or college or anything, or do you feel comfortable with the direction your life is headed?

[30:57] MARTIKA EVANS: Um, you know, one of my friends asked me this question last night, and I was just kind of like, um. I don't think I really have regrets. Um, really? One of my favorite slogans is always forward. And that's what we. We learned in basic training. So actually, me shay, me shay, her best friend, we all. We all have always forward tattooed on us just to say, like, when we was in basic training, they were like, you, whatever happened, you always forward your sergeant. Always forward your sergeant. And then I took that from basic and kind of just lived with that. Like, always forward. I don't want to look back, but really, I know the chaplain right now who I've been talking to, he's full time. Well, he's on orders. He's been telling me, you know, sometimes you got to reflect, you know, so that you can get past certain things. But I haven't been able to. I don't like reflecting too much. I'm trying to. I'm like, no, you know, the reflecting can be sad sometimes, but, no, I'm always forward. So I think everything happens for a reason. Everything has a purpose. Everything is how it's gonna be. It can be better, always can be better, but always for it.

[32:12] IAN GONZALEZ: You had a lot of transition in your twenties. It sounded like a really crazy couple years. Military school. Military. You know, becoming a mother. Is there something that kept you going, you know, either your friends, family, a hobby, something that you feel like you always fell back on?

[32:35] MARTIKA EVANS: I think it's just me being a first generation. Okay. College graduate, maybe in a first generation. Well, no, I think maybe my mom did own a home, but it's just kind of like the motivation was, I don't want to. I know I want to retire a certain way. I don't want to be older and working at a fast food restaurant. I didn't want to be 30, still working at Wendy's. Not to say it's bad, you know, because people still, you can make a life out of that and become a franchisee owner or whatever, but I just knew I didn't want what I didn't want. That's all. I knew. That was my motivation. I know what I don't want. I don't know what I want, how I'm gonna get there, but I know where I'm not going back to what I'm going to.

[33:18] IAN GONZALEZ: I feel that.

[33:19] MARTIKA EVANS: Yeah, totally, totally.

[33:23] IAN GONZALEZ: I'm curious. You said that this conversation is something you'd probably want to share and something potentially for future generations. Is there something you'd like to say to your kids if they listen back to this? Is there a message you'd like to tell them or other people that may hear this at some point?

[33:44] MARTIKA EVANS: Oh, yeah, that's a good question. Thank you. Very good question. I don't know. I think what I would want to tell my kids.

[33:53] IAN GONZALEZ: And if you want, you can just tell them directly, you know, like, hey, you know, because they'll listen to it. So if you want to, it could be like, hey, you know, oh, okay, okay, okay.

[34:03] MARTIKA EVANS: Let me go down the line then.

[34:04] IAN GONZALEZ: Yeah, please.

[34:05] MARTIKA EVANS: All right. Well, hey, Logan, you are super smart and, like, caring right now. You're homesick with strep, and you said that the only thing that made you feel better was the frappuccino from Starbucks. I still don't understand that, but okay. But I just want you to know, just like I just said, to always be forward and, you know, like, keep that light shining. You are very smart. Matter of fact, Preston, same thing you was crying this morning because you not sick and you did not want to go to school. And, you know, you're so happy about being able to play football for the first time this year. Well, touch tackle football, I guess. And I just want you to know, like, you're very smart, too. You try not to show that side of you, but I hope eventually you will, you know, like, just loosen up. Be you, both of y'all. Just be exactly who you are. Like, do not try to be nobody else but you. As long guess who you are is a good person. Don't be out here trying to treat people bad and they like, well, that's just me. No, I want you to love people. Show your light. Be positive. Give good energy into my one year old. Seven. You was crying this morning. Too. But I see your personality already, too, where you are stubborn. And I hope you use that energy to do good things in this world. Don't let anybody run over you. You be positive, light. Give good energy. Stick to your guns as long as it's good. And just know I love all three, y'all. And, um.

[35:57] IAN GONZALEZ: Yeah, that's so interesting to be able to see personality at one year.

[36:02] MARTIKA EVANS: So it's fascinating me. It is.

[36:06] IAN GONZALEZ: Do you feel like you've been able to see that with each of your children?

[36:09] MARTIKA EVANS: Absolutely.

[36:09] IAN GONZALEZ: That, like, at one years old, you're like, you're gonna be stubborn, you're gonna be talkative, you're gonna be quiet.

[36:17] MARTIKA EVANS: Yeah. Because pressing is still kind of the same way. Preston, he's not. He hasn't been, like, as friendly with people, and now he's seven. He's still kind of like that. He only speaks to a baby sometimes. He like, to himself, and he's kind of been like that since he was a baby.

[36:34] IAN GONZALEZ: Do you know how your parents would describe you from age zero to ten?

[36:41] MARTIKA EVANS: My mom said I always. She said I was the best one. Shout out to all my other three siblings. I was the best one, she said, because I just slept all the time. So, you know, again, I told y'all, like, now. Said, you always need a nap. If I don't get a nap, I get kind of angry. You know, people get hungry angry. What is it, hangry? No, I get, like, nap grie. Like, I need a nap. And then she said, yep, I was talkative. I've always been talkative. I'm still talkative and just cool, chill, lay back, and I'm still that. So, yeah. Me seeing my kids like that and they just be different than me, it's still kind of cool. So it is good seeing that from them.

[37:22] IAN GONZALEZ: Totally.

[37:22] MARTIKA EVANS: Yeah.

[37:23] IAN GONZALEZ: Anything you're looking forward to? Anything that you have a hope for in the future?

[37:30] MARTIKA EVANS: I hope to win the lottery. Okay. But I haven't played, actually. I got lottery ticket I wanted to shut. I did it maybe play two weeks ago. I didn't scan it to see if I won, but nobody said it was locally, so I knew it wasn't me. But really, on retirement, I am 15 years. In the ten years, Army National Guard, five years Air national Guard. So in five years, I'll have my 20 years. You don't have to retire. Right. At 20 years, you can stay in it as long as you hit 62, I think. So. I'm looking forward to retirement. Awesome.

[38:06] IAN GONZALEZ: Anything you want to do in retirement.

[38:08] MARTIKA EVANS: Other than not work and sleep, because.

[38:11] IAN GONZALEZ: That sounds good to me. Just not working right.

[38:13] MARTIKA EVANS: You know, a part of me says I want to farm, but because I don't like working out, you know, most people working now, they like to go to the gym. I don't want to do that type of working out. I'm thinking more so, like, physical labor, like, you know. You know, I got a garden or something. I'm going out there and being physical like that. So I say, I want a farm, but I don't know. That sounds like work. Work.

[38:36] IAN GONZALEZ: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[38:37] MARTIKA EVANS: So, yeah, yeah. That's the only thing. And I probably possibly move back to just move somewhere. Like, I don't know, maybe if I get an island, if I hit the lottery, go on the island somewhere. Oh, and I fish. Cause I like to fish. You know, like, fish food, vegetable garden or something.

[38:53] IAN GONZALEZ: It's nice.

[38:54] MARTIKA EVANS: Yeah. Something easy.

[38:55] IAN GONZALEZ: And I really hope this is our first. I don't think we have one, but I really hope this is our first story conversation where someone says they want to live in the lottery, and then in a few years, they do.

[39:07] MARTIKA EVANS: Please.

[39:08] IAN GONZALEZ: And we'll say, you have to reach out to us if you do.

[39:12] MARTIKA EVANS: I will.

[39:12] IAN GONZALEZ: So that we could do a follow up story, and we're like, so, you just won the lottery. How is your life going?

[39:18] MARTIKA EVANS: My guys? Going great.

[39:19] IAN GONZALEZ: It's gonna be great.

[39:20] MARTIKA EVANS: Catch me on an island. Yeah.

[39:23] IAN GONZALEZ: That's great.

[39:23] MARTIKA EVANS: Yeah.

[39:24] IAN GONZALEZ: Hey, well, is there anything else you'd like to say with. With our time? We have a minute left, or do you feel like you. You said what you need to say?

[39:34] MARTIKA EVANS: Oh, I think I said everything I need to say. Just, you know, shout out to my kids and my future grandkids. I hope everything works out. And, you know, y'all hold it down.

[39:47] IAN GONZALEZ: Hey. Well, thank you so much for talking with me. It's been a pleasure.

[39:51] MARTIKA EVANS: Thank you.

[39:52] IAN GONZALEZ: And, yeah, thank you.