Voices of Dog Tag: Anne Barlieb
In this installment of Voices of Dog Tag we’re featuring Cohort 6 Alum and Army Veteran Anne Barlieb.
Following retirement from the military and graduation from Dog Tag, Anne spends much of her time attending workshops through various veteran service organizations, supporting advocacy work for veteran wellness, and mentoring retiring servicemembers at Walter Reed. Anne’s commitment to volunteering is innate. She adds that “the groups I volunteer with have missions I believe in. I am excited to be a part of Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP) , Community Building Artworks (CBAW), and Dog Tag.”
When asked what volunteering means to her, Anne says, “Volunteering has been ideal for me because of my medical conditions. When I medically retired, I lost a large part of my identity. Dog Tag allowed me to accept that reality about myself. I’m a writer, a mentor, an advocate, a great listener. I took those skills and I leverage them in volunteering. I love having the flexibility to do things when I feel well enough to do them.”
Reflecting on her time in the Army, Anne says “You learn so much about difficult decisions and human suffering. Servicemembers experience some of the worst of this. Confronting and processing this with community support allows us to generate compassion and be real leaders on the other side of our service.” Anne adds, “The leadership I’m called to now is different from being an officer. The greatest influence on me has been an appreciation for humanity.”
Anne is deeply appreciative of her time as a fellow at Dog Tag and says “I was very goal oriented in the military and through my retirement process, I had to change my strategy to one of presence. I love Dog Tag because there are options for what you can do. Come figure out who you are and then be that in the world.”
As an alum, Anne gives back to the Dog Tag community through volunteering in the bakery, alumni mentorship program, and recruiting for the Dog Tag Fellowship Program. “Any time there’s an opportunity, I’m always happy to participate. I love to visit the bakery. One of my ideal days is having a soup or a hot chocolate, sitting in Dog Tag Bakery, and thinking ‘Gosh, I don’t know that it gets much better than this.’”