Scott DeLuzio    00:00:00    Thanks for tuning in to the Drive On Podcast, where we’re focused on giving hope and strength to the entire military community. Whether you’re a veteran, active duty, guard, reserve, or family member, this podcast will share inspirational stories and resources that are useful to you. I’m your host, Scott DeLuzio. And now let’s get on with the show.  

Scott DeLuzio   00:00:22    Hey everybody. Welcome back to the Drive On Podcast. Today, my guest is Diana Soriano, Diana, and I actually share a similar story and that we both lost a loved one in Afghanistan while we were stationed there while we were deployed there. Diana lost her fiance, Bobby Pagan, in 2010, which also happens to be the same year that my brother was killed in action.  She also has gone on to write a book about her experiences, which is titled In Loving Memory: A Story Of Love Loss And Living On. Welcome to the show. Diana,  

Diana Soriano    00:00:59    Thank you, Scott for having me.  

Scott DeLuzio   00:01:01    Yeah, absolutely. When you reached out and told me a little bit about your story, I was eager to get you on the show and dig into your story a little bit more and find out about it just because, well, first off, anyone who has gone through a loss like this certainly is a story worth telling. There’s a lot of lessons that I’m sure you’ve learned along the way. I know I have. In the aftermath of combat-related deaths like this,  the unexpected deaths that take place.  There’s a lot of lessons to be learned and I think it’s great that you’re willing to come on and share your story and talk about your experiences, and really get that information out there to help other people who may be going through similar circumstances.  

Scott DeLuzio    00:01:57     Whether it was in the last 20, some odd years of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, or the world.  Unfortunately with war comes situations like the ones that we’ve both experienced.  I think it’s great that you’re willing to share your experiences to hopefully help some other people. Before we dig into your story and your experiences, let’s start with a little bit about yourself. What got you into the military? What got your interest in it, and how did you end up meeting Bobby?  

Diana Soriano 00:02:46     I was raised in a house of domestic violence and my parents met when they were teenagers. they’re actually in middle school, and my brother is in high school. There were a lot of issues between them and my dad was on and off drugs. My mom, when they split, was an alcoholic and she was very abusive towards me and my brother. My background was really rough and it came to a point where I was living with other family members to kind of get away and try to get a break. But I found myself always kind of moving back and forth ever since, sixth grade, actually. At 17, between my sophomore and junior year, I finally just had enough and ended up living with one last family member. Then from her, I lived with my first boyfriend and he ended up cheating on me and we broke up, of course.  

Diana Soriano    00:03:56    He kicked me out and I was pretty much homeless and I was in high school and I was just determined not to end up on the streets and not to end up doing nothing with my life. My parents made some pretty bad choices growing up. I just took that as an example of what I didn’t want to do. I wanted to do the complete opposite and be successful in life. I joined the militar...