ROSWELL, Ga. — Stephany Litvin can usually be found in Roswell's emergency 911 center, working a 12-hour shift. The thrill of a different day, every day plus the ability to help others drove her to serve there for the last two years.
"We answer emergency and non-emergency calls, dispatching police, fire and medical to various calls," Litvin said. “We're telling people how to report fraud or give CPR instructions to try and help a loved one."
Litvin said Roswell's 911 center could field up to 300 calls a day. While born in Athens, Litvin lived a lot of her life in Pennsylvania. She eventually joined the Army National Guard, rose to the rank of sergeant, and faced deployment to Afghanistan. She served as a motor transport operator overseas, doing convoy security, guarding locals and transporting supplies to different bases. Litvin said she spent about a year in Afghanistan and her time there came with loss.
“To be in a different country that doesn’t have the same stuff you have, it’s different and kind of life-changing and eye-opening," Litvin said. "For the other platoon in my company, three of them weren’t so lucky. Unfortunately, they were killed by an IED (improvised explosive device).”
Litvin now bears a tattoo on her arm, showing three pairs of combat boots with helmet-topped weapons inside them and surrounded by angel wings. She has served as a dispatcher since 2013, and she eventually moved to Roswell during the pandemic to be closer to her parents.
The City of Roswell recently honored the highly-decorated military veteran for her service to her country and her community. Litvin said she will continue to try and save lives and livelihoods, a nod to her calling to help even if it's now in a different uniform.
"Even where there’s not so great outcomes, I know I did everything to the best of my ability to try and get that person help," Litvin said. “I’m still trying to figure out life myself and figure out what I want to do. But for the future, now is going to be continuing to help others - and I enjoy doing that.”