Elizabeth Berman

Name: Elizabeth Berman
City/State: Durham, NC
Branch of Service: Army
Dates of Service: 1978-1982
Last Rank Held: E5
Military Occupation: 96C Interrogator (Romanian)
Current Occupation: Retired freelance translator
X: NA
Instagram: NA
Facebook: TBD

Elizabeth outside of the military:

My name is Beth Berman. I live in Durham, North Carolina, with my husband, Gary Berman, a lawyer. We celebrated our 28th wedding anniversary this year.

Durham is not my hometown. I grew up in Laurel, Maryland, and came here to go to school, graduating from Duke University in 1977 with a B.A. in philosophy.

The Durham I live in today is vastly different than the Durham I knew in the seventies. The buildings that were textile mills and tobacco factories now house tech startups, architects’ offices, craft breweries, and upscale boutiques. It’s a far cry from “the dreary tobacco town of Exeter” that Thomas Wolfe wrote about in Look Homeward, Angel.

Have I changed as much as Durham has? It’s hard to say. This much we know: I’m a lifelong Democrat, a lifelong Yankee fan, a practicing Jew, and an avid reader. Above all, I’ve been and remain a very lucky person. Suppose the life of every human being on Earth got a score for happiness, say, or comfortableness. Mine would surely make the 99th percentile—and through no real fault (or merit) of my own!

Elizabeth on joining the IAVA Cavalry:

I think that our country’s laws, traditions, and people are being attacked by Donald Trump and his administration. Military veterans took an oath to defend our consitituion, so we shouldn’t just stand by and let it be trashed. Moreover, veterans have served this country already in ways that many Americans respect and admire, so that veterans’ voices resonate in the public square. I think of the IAVA Cavalry as being well-informed and well-positioned to do certain work, namely, that of resisting harmful policies and advocating for good ones. I would like to help in any way I can.

How the military experience affected Elizabeth’s personal growth:

First, the military helped me learn and use two foreign languages, German and Romanian, that have become fundamental to my life and activities. I am able to read and learn about hiistorical and current events that have great meaning for me.

At the same time, I met people in the service whom I wouldn’t have met otherwise, from a huge variety of backgrounds different than my own. . This was extremely valuable to me. Ideally, the military teaches you that you are no better than anyone else—and also no worse. in my experience, this message was, more often than not, sincerely and successfully conveyed.

As a result, my Army experience enhanced my self-confidence and bolstered my belief in my own abilities. It taught me how to be patient and resilient in the face of unexpected setbacks, inexplicable processes, and exasperating people. It helped me to understand the “time and chance that happeneth to all” as well as the value of a “can-do” attitude.

IAVA’s policy priorities that are the most pressing:

Defending democracy. The United States is far less fragile than Weimar Germany. But the demonizing and scapegoating of immigrants, for example, not to mention the dehumanizing cruelty aimed at the tiny minority of transexual Americans, are echoes of the past. In the past, such attitudes proved contagious and corrosive. Power that depends on the total obfuscation of truth and the utter elevation of lies is bound to bring chaos and misery to at least some people.

IAVA’s policy priorities with the strongest personal connection for Elizabeth:

Defending democracy. I have benefited from the civil liberties and economic and political stability that, generally speaking, have characterized our country throughout my life. I am grateful for the opportunities I’ve enjoyed, and I don’t want to see other people’s opportunities destroyed.