Army Captain Angela Garland, a U.S. Army public affairs officer, has transformed her life from a struggling high school student to living her childhood dream of being both a leader and a public figure. Capt. Garland credits a pivotal moment in December 2008, when an Army recruiter visited her high school cafeteria, for changing her trajectory.
“I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for that recruiter,” she shared.
Garland grew up in Lynchburg, Virginia, and attended E.C. Glass High School, where she ran track and dreamed of a career in the spotlight. “I knew since I was young that I was meant to be on TV,” Capt. Garland told a local news outlet during a Black History Month feature. However, her high school years were fraught with difficulties.
Bullying led to a decline in her grades, ultimately taking college off the table. She was even dismissed from her school’s JROTC program and graduated with a 2.1 GPA. “I was far from a stellar student,” she admitted.
But another opportunity opened up for her. At 19 years old, she enlisted in the Army, marking the first time she left her hometown.
“I cried when I learned I’d be traveling overseas,” Garland said. “My family never traveled, and I had never flown in a plane before.” Her first overseas assignment became a turning point in her life.
Fast forward 14 years, and Capt. Garland is now the Commander of Student Company at the Army Public Affairs Center.
Reflecting on her journey, she shared, “I’ll never forget my time as a Private First Class in Advanced Individual Training (AIT). Now, I’m the AIT Commander of the best career field in the United States Army.”
Initially enlisting as a struggling and unruly student, Garland said the Army quickly instilled discipline and purpose. After four years of service, she revisited her high school and spoke with a former teacher.
“He told me that out of his 14 years of teaching, I was the one student he still talked about,” Garland recounted. “I was so difficult in his class, but he expressed how proud he was of how far I’ve come.”
In 2016, while home in Lynchburg, Garland was the victim of a drive-by shooting outside the JazzE Ellington House of Blues and Multicultural Center. The shooting left her with gunshot wounds to her foot and leg and claimed the life of 21-year-old Shawn Johnson Jr.
@iam_angelena Thank you God 🙏🏽🕊️ #miltok #militarytiktok #armytok #armytiktok #womeninuniform #survivor #inspiration #blackgirlmagic #representation ♬ I'm Getting Ready – Tasha Cobbs Leonard
The incident left her physically and emotionally scarred, but she says her faith and resilience saw her through.
Despite the trauma, Garland graduated from Norfolk State University Summa Cum Laude and commissioned as an Army officer. She now uses her platform to inspire others, particularly those who may not see themselves as traditional candidates for Army service.
In one notable post, she shared a photo of herself shaking hands with Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Imagine being a Black female Army officer and shaking hands with the first Black and female Vice President of the United States,” she wrote. “Dream it. Believe it. Achieve it. #representationmatters”
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