The faded photograph taken in Saudi Arabia in 1991 captures a smiling young woman, wearing a combat helmet and holding an M16 assault rifle.

“That was Hope,” said Maria Uballe Nunn, who recently reflected on her six years of service as an Army Reservist. She’s seated at a conference table at Guardian Title Inc., where she has worked an escrow officer since 2005. “I named my rifle that because I hoped I wouldn’t

have to use her.” Maria paused and smiled. “And I didn’t.”

“It was scary sometimes being a part of Operation Desert Shield,” she added. “But I wouldn’t change any of it.”

Maria, then 19, signed up with the U.S. Army Reserves not long after graduating from Blanco

High School in 1989. Her petite stature initially held her back.

“Because of my size and weight, I took the physical three times before they let me in,” she said.

Maria went on to basic and advanced training before reporting to her duty station at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio. Then Iraq President Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. In response, President George H. W. Bush ordered the deployment of American troops in what became known as Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

As part of the 340th Supply Unit, Maria and her fellow soldiers supplied food and water to front-line combat units from October 1990 until the next May. They also dug bunkers and filled sandbags across the desert.

“When we pulled guard duty, we’d look over berms and hear and see the artillery going off,

back and forth,” Maria recalled. “That was real scary.”

While serving in Saudi Arabia, sand and sandstorms became an integral part of daily life. Bandanas and goggles did little to ease the discomfort. “I remember washing our laundry using water bottles,” she said. “We’d hang everything up to dry, but it’d just get all dusty and sandy again.”

At that early stage in her life, Maria returned home with aspirations of making the military

her career. “But that didn’t work out,” she said. “God had other plans for me, which were perfect. I never thought I’d be a parent to two awesome kids and the wife of an awesome

man. Scott Nunn and I married in February 2014. Two months later, we adopted my niece and nephew, Torrance and Herman John Uballe.”

Her years spent in military service were more than just a mundane job.

“I learned about discipline and structure,” Maria said. “I'm also a better parent because of my

training. I tell my kids not to settle. Be a part of something that’s bigger than yourself and that will help you to grow. If you give up on yourself, others will, too. But you can’t give up if you’re part of a team of individuals that is depending on you.”