Women of the Military

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Follow Your Passion in the Military Feb 11, 2021

Show notes

Elaine graduated from college and couldn’t find a job, and was living at home and working part-time. The bus stop was by a recruiter’s office and she decided to join the Army. The recruiter dangled a bonus and an early start day for her career and she took it instead of waiting to be a 46B Public Army Broadcast. Instead, she enlisted as a Morse Code Interceptor.

Shift work

Her first assignment was in Hawaii. She enjoyed the location but was on a continual shift of rotations for her duty, days, mids, nights. It was tough on her body and mentally challenging. She didn’t enjoy doing morse code and had the opportunity to go to language school in San Francisco and learned Russian. By the time she completed her training she was married, pregnant, and had 9 months left on her active duty service commitment. She finished out her time and then she and her husband relocated to Illinois.

She and her husband served in the Reserves.

When signed up to serve in the Reserves she wanted to switch to be a 46B. And so she was able to switch career fields and enjoyed her career field. She deployed two times before 9/11 once to Guantanamo and then to Bosnia. But she went all over the globe for shorter missions. Because she was a homemaker it made it possible to go on the different assignments required by the Reserves.

She switched to the National Guard in 2000 and switch career fields to be an interrogator. In 2004, she was deployed to Afghanistan. Because it was early in the war she was able to travel to many different places in Afghanistan and really enjoyed her time serving in Afghanistan.

Leaving the military

In 2008, she decided to leave the military, and in the middle of a recession tried to find a job. She was also in the middle of a divorce and struggled. Even with a master's degree and her veteran status, she couldn’t find work. Eventually, she got a GS-5 job as a secretary with the IRS. This job was an open door and she found her footing.

Today she works for the VA and recently moved from Chicago to Los Angeles so that she could follow her passion of being a TV writer. Her short stories and essays have been published in “Tupelo Quarterly,” “The Bryant Literary Review,” ”37th Parallel,” the anthology, “Powder: Writing by Women in the Ranks from Vietnam to Iraq” and many others. She won the Celia Baker Scholarship to the Longleaf Writer’s Conference in 2018.

She was an Austin Screenwriting Festival second-rounder in 2019 and 2020 and participated in the Writers Guild of America West, WGA, Veterans Writing Workshop in 2015. Elaine has also worked as a production assistant and assistant director on several short films, and as a contributor to the Rivendell theater production of “Women at War.” She is currently collaborating with a composer to write a short musical for the upcoming NewMusicalsInc (NMI) musical web series, “How Proudly We Hail.”

Connect with Elaine:

Website coming soon

Mentioned in this episode:

https://nmi.org/

Afghanistan through Pictures

Related Episodes:

When Public Affairs Changed – Episode 67

Switching Careers in the US Navy – Episode 76

Being Counterintelligence in the Army – Episode 53

Check out the full transcript here.

Thank you to my Patreon Sponsor Col Level and above:
Kevin Barba, Adriana Keefe

Thank you Patreon members for your support. Want early access to episodes, ad-free content, and one on one mentorship advice? Become a Patreon member today! Click here.

Resources:

Women of the Military Mentorship Program

Girl's Guide to Military Service available where books are sold.

Signed copies of A Girl's Guide to Military Service

Girl's Guide to the Military Series

The Rollercoaster of Military Life Feb 09, 2021

Show notes

Because she had her degree she was an E-3 and the highest ranking enlisted member. This gave her additional responsibilities during boot camp and she worked hard to get through it. Even facing injuries (mainly shin splints) she would march on crutches at the back of the pack.

After graduating from AIT she headed off to jump school. While at jump school she was offered the opportunity to be a Black Hat instructor. But her time there was cut short when her father intervened and got her moved to Fort Bragg. She was one of the first 100 women integrated into the 82nd Airborne. She said the leadership was determined to make integrating women a success and she enjoyed her time there.

Roller Coaster of Military Life

When her contract ended, she asked to stay another year, they agreed, but also told her she needed to have a plan for what was next. If she wanted to stay in the military, she should consider becoming an officer. She ended up getting direct commission and while at training for the medical corps she was given the opportunity to become a helicopter pilot.

Her first assignment in Alabama had her doing humanitarian missions along with work for the Army and she really enjoyed her time there. Next, she moved to Germany. She was welcomed by a sign that read “Any Female Lt.” She knew that this was not going to be a welcoming environment. And with each new commander, it would only get worse.

Life changes

Luckily, she was given the job of driving around a General for a week and within the first thirty minutes of their time together he asked her about her plans with the military and she told him she was getting out and why. He was able to get her reassigned to a hospital at Ramstein. There she had a much better work assignment and was able to do a lot of positive changes to help patients get seen. She also got married and left the military.

She transitioned from service member to military spouse and struggled with identity. But was able to get involved in the military spouse community and stayed active. In 2018, she launched Leader Transition Institute. Things were growing slowly and then with the onset of COVID they were quickly able to pivot to an online model and have been able to help so many people.

Advice for the next generation

She tells women to join the military. The path has been laid for you to do so much, but make sure to keep your principles and values. Find a group of women you can trust and lean into the experiences of the women who have gone before you.

Connect with Annie:

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Mentioned in this episode:

Ramstein Air Show Disaster

Related Episodes:

A Muslim American in the Army - Episode 98

The Challenge of Officer Candidate School - Episode 85

Army Women Out to Change the World - Episode 4

Check out the full transcript here.

Thank you to my Patreon Sponsor Col Level and above:
Kevin Barba, Adriana Keefe

Thank you Patreon members for your support. Want early access to episodes, ad-free content, and one on one mentorship advice? Become a Patreon member today! Click here.

Resources:

Women of the Military Mentorship Program

Girl's Guide to Military Service available where books are sold.

Signed copies of A Girl's Guide to Military Service

Girl's Guide to the Military Series

Flawed but Still Worthy Feb 04, 2021

Show notes

*post contains affiliate links

Allie literally made a U-turn as she drove past a recruiting station and walked into the Navy recruiter’s office. She signed up that day and headed out to boot camp 3-months later. No one knew what to expect, but she found boot camp and A-school gave her structure and she was ready for her first day of military life.

A First Impression

She reported in wearing wedges, white Bermuda shorts, and a pink spaghetti-strap top with a white blazer. She quickly discovered what military life was going to be like. Not quite what she expected, but ready to prove herself. The ship she was assigned to was in dry dock and instead of doing the secretarial duties she expected she was doing manual labor. As her ship was gearing up for deployment she found out was pregnant and had to be reassigned.

Facing challenges

She started her new job working for the Command Master Chief as his executive assistant. It was a great job and she learned a lot, but soon the Chief had to move to the next assignment and the Senior Chief who replaced him until the next Chief arrived sexually assaulted and harassed Allie daily. She tried to report it twice and nothing changed. One day in a rant of frustration she told a fellow sailor about her struggle and then headed back to work. This young sailor reported it and was able to find a Chief who would take action. Eventually, a case was made and the Senior Chief was removed.

During all of this, her daughter was born. She experienced a lot of bleeding post-delivery and when she voiced it to the nurse. The nurse accused her of lying and wanting to get more time off work and said she was fine instead of checking. She went home for the end of her maternity leave and had to be rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery as half of her placenta was still in her body and had been infected.

Still Worthy

But things were looking better a few months later as she met Sean. They did a courthouse wedding before he deployed to Afghanistan with plans of a big family wedding on his return home from deployment. But within weeks of arriving in Afghanistan, he was killed in action. This crushed Allie and her command didn’t know how to treat her since she was both a military spouse and an active duty service member. It made the pain and loss harder. She advocated for change with the Admiral before she left active duty.

Today she lives in Arizona with her husband and daughter. To read more about her experience and read her whole story check out her book Flawed and (Still) Worthy.

Connect with Allie:

Www.alliebrazas-hayes.com

Facebook

Instagram

Mentioned in this episode:

Book: Flawed and (Still) Worthy

Related Episodes:

An Invisible Combat Veteran Story - Episode 90

A Rape Surviors Story - Episode 58

Surviving Mlitary Sexual Trauma - Episode 26

Check out the full transcript here.

Thank you to my Patreon Sponsor Col Level and above:
Kevin Barba, Adriana Keefe

Thank you Patreon members for your support. Want early access to episodes, ad-free content, and one on one mentorship advice? Become a Patreon member today! Click here.

Resources:

Women of the Military Mentorship Program

Girl's Guide to Military Service available where books are sold.

Signed copies of A Girl's Guide to Military Service

Girl's Guide to the Military Series

**The Stories of Military Women and Women Veteran Authors** Feb 02, 2021
Show notes

Laura Colbert - Sirens: How to Pee Standing Up
What was it like to deploy to Iraq as the war kicked off? Laura was the first wave of the invasion after the Marines. She talked about the whole experience in her book Sirens: How to Pee Standing Up which is based on the journal she kept while deployed overseas. In today's interview, we talked about writing her book and what she learned along the way. You can listen to episode 87 of the Women of the Military Podcast where we talk about her experience in the military and dive deeper into her book. http://www.airmantomom.com/2020/08/sirens-how-to-pee-standing-up/

Order here
Erin Miller - Final Fight, Final Flight
Erin Miller is the granddaughter of WASP WWII pilot Elaine Danforth Harmon. She has a J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law, a Master’s in international studies from the University of Leeds (UK), and a B.A. in history from the University of California, San Diego. She is a licensed attorney in Maryland, where she lives with her two Shiba Inus. Erin has become an ambassador for the WASP of World War II by sharing her own story of honoring her grandmother who wanted to ensure future generations learn about the history of these trailblazing pilots. You can read more of both Erin and Elaine’s story in her book Final Fight, Final Fight. Listen to the full interview on the Women of the Military Podcast, episode 49.

Order here
Kathy Gallowitz - Beyond Thank You for Your Service
“The Connector,” Kathy is the owner and Chief Innovator at Vanguard Veteran. She is a consultant, speaker, trainer, and coach. Mission: To equip civilians to become Veteran Champions. This is done by creating mutually-beneficial activities and services with Veterans that improves the quality of life, workforce, and community. It is her life’s calling to lead the Veteran Champion movement. As an Air Force Public Affairs Officer, she designed and led a never-been-done-before statewide outreach office for the Ohio National Guard to educate and engage civilians in support of troops and their families. She is an SHRM recertification provider and completed the SHRM Veterans at Work certification.

Order here
Rojan Robotham - Working Moms How We Do It
Rojan joined the Air Force through a Reserve Officer Training Corps scholarship. A guidance counselor had recognized her love of math and science and recommended she attended a math and science camp at the Air Force Academy. From that she learned about ROTC and received a four-year scholarship, but had to get her degree in Physics. She had a career in Science and Technology while in the military and talked about the challenges she faced to continue her military career and raise her children.
Order here
Mari Eder - The Girls Who Stepped Out of Line and Changed the Course of WWII
Order here: https://amzn.to/2Mdgtmu
The history of military women is fascinating when you have a chance to discover it. Gen Mari Eder was given a book on the women of the Civil War and she found it fascinating and wanted to learn more and is now working to share more stories of military women. Gen Eder has so much wisdom and I'm so glad she is sharing it in her new book and for the wisdom, she shared in Episode 70 of the Women of the Military Podcast.
Shannon Polson - Grit Factor
As one of the first women to fly the Apache helicopter in the U.S. Army, Polson's career spans almost a decade as an Army officer and attack aviation leader around the globe, as well as leading and managing in the corporate sector at Microsoft. Polson is committed to courageous, compassionate, and committed leadership for lives that matter.

Order here
Do you have favorite books by women veteran authors? I would love to hear about them and why you loved them.
Check out the full transcript **here.**
Thank you to my **Patreon** Sponsor Col Level and above:
Kevin Barba, Adriana Keefe
Thank you Patreon members for your support. Want early access to episodes, ad-free content, and one on one mentorship advice? Become a Patreon member today! **Click here.**

**Resources:**
Women of the Military Mentorship Program
Girl's Guide to Military Service available where books are sold.
Signed copies of A Girl's Guide to Military Service
Girl's Guide to the Military Series

Being in the Military Band Jan 28, 2021

Show notes

Joining the Military Band

Charlan served in the US Air Force as a clarinetist. In her role, she organized, performed, and supported community outreach events as well as internal military events. Her military career began after she completed a Bachelor's and Masters of Music degree. She won a national audition as a civilian and after being selected went to Basic Training. After graduating from Basic Training she reported to the Band of the US Air Force Reserve in Warner Robins AFB, GA.

Just over a year later, she quickly transitioned to the US Air Forces in Europe Band at Ramstein AB, Germany as a newlywed. While in Europe, she became a mom, learned how to breastfeed in combat boots and discovered a new desire to stick with one enlistment to spend time with her young children after completing her military commitment.

From AF to Civilian

She performed her last concert as a Senior Airman with the US Air Force Academy Band at Peterson AFB, Colorado. Then she moved her growing family back to the Greater Atlanta Area in Georgia. In the three years following active-duty military service, Charlan has homeschooled her two sons, tutored private K-12 and adult students, and written resumes and supporting materials for other service-members in transition as well as civilians.

Lessons Learned Podcast

Currently, she is on the team for a new podcast, "Lessons Learned for Vets" designed to give transitioning veterans actionable plans through stories shared by veterans who have gone before, experienced success, and dealt with setbacks. "Lessons Learned for Vets" launched on November 11th, 2020.

Connect with Charlan:

Mentioned in this episode:

Lesson’s learned for Vets

Blended Retirement

Related Episodes:

Working on Jet Engines in the Air Force - Episode 61

The Story of an Air Force Civil Engineer - Episode 52

A Developmental Engineer in the Air Force - Episode 8

Check out the full transcript here.

Thank you to my Patreon Sponsor Col Level and above:
Kevin Barba, Adriana Keefe

Thank you Patreon members for your support. Want early access to episodes, ad-free content, and one on one mentorship advice? Become a Patreon member today! Click here.

Resources:

Women of the Military Mentorship Program

Girl's Guide to Military Service available where books are sold.

Signed copies of A Girl's Guide to Military Service

Girl's Guide to the Military Series

A Female Astronaut at NASA Jan 26, 2021

Show notes

Jasmin was considering the Naval Academy when she un-expertly found out she was accepted to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to attend. She considered doing ROTC, but her parents encouraged her to keep her options open and helped pay for college since the ROTC scholarship was a desirable reason to sign up.

From MIT to the Marine Corps

But her desire to serve in the military never waned. She went to Officer Candidate School between her Junior and Senior year of college. She commissioned into the Marine Corps when she graduated. In the first few years of active duty, she was working to get her pilot wings. And in 2008 she began operational flying. She deployed three times from 2009 to 2012.

Deployment Loneliness

She talked about how hard it was to be the only female in her fighter pilot group. While the male 1st Lt and Captains had their own tent, she was in a tent with all the other females of all ranks and jobs. She didn’t feel the comradery her male counterparts felt. But she loved the work she did while she was over there supporting the troops on the ground and running flying operations.

After her last deployment in 2012, she reported to Naval Test Pilot School. She worked as both a developmental and operational test pilot. It was while she was an operational test pilot she applied to be an astronaut with NASA.

Becoming an astronaut at NASA

The selection process was long and required references and multiple interviews. She felt honored to be considered to be an astronaut and met amazing people through the process. She found out in May of 2017 that she was selected to begin training in August. Next, she discussed the various training that is required to be an astronaut. She continues to train for a future space flight today. In late 2020, it was announced that Jasmin would be part of the Artemis and could be one of the first women on the moon. It will be exciting to continue to watch her story.

Mentioned in this Episode

Nicole Malachowski – First Female Thunderbird Pilot

Astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli Bio

NASA website

Related Episodes:

Before Women Could Be Fighter Pilots – Episode 29

Do You Know the Stories of the WASP – Episode 49

Advice for Women Considering Military Service – Episode 100

Check out the full transcript here.

Thank you to my Patreon Sponsor Col Level and above:
Kevin Barba, Adriana Keefe

Thank you Patreon members for your support. Want early access to episodes, ad-free content, and one on one mentorship advice? Become a Patreon member today! Click here.

Resources:

Women of the Military Mentorship Program

Girl's Guide to Military Service available where books are sold.

Signed copies of A Girl's Guide to Military Service

Girl's Guide to the Military Series

Becoming a Rear Admiral in the Coast Guard Jan 21, 2021

Show notes

Her first assignment was out at sea tour. She was on a smaller vessel so she would be out at sea for one to four weeks depending on the work they were doing. She was the only female on the ship she was assigned to and she found time at sea to be very lonely because she couldn’t spend time with anyone on her ship. She was thankful the rotations were short.

After that tour, she was selected to become attend Law School in the DC area. While attending Law School she had the opportunity to attend social events at the White House. Her favorite event she attended was when Bill Clinton brought Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat to the White House to sign an agreement that strengthens Israeli security and expanded the area of Palestinian control in the West Bank. She said she saw Katie Couric at the event and had a chance to talk to her and she told her how nervous she was. She said attending that event was so cool because it was watching history take place right in front of her eyes.

The World Changes September 11th

She was stationed in Long Beach on September 11th and worked to help secure the port in Long Beach. She discussed how they quickly began to implement changes to help ensure the safety of the port. September 11th had a huge impact on how the Coast Guard secured the borders and our ports and there continue to be changes and improvements made to this day.

Command in Alaska

She was given the opportunity to take command in Juneau, Alaska. The Commander was being relieved due to a toxic environment. She went into the role and was able to change the culture. The senior enlisted members (Chiefs) wanted the opportunity to lead so she gave them the task of consolidating the base and was blown away by the results. Another interesting project was safely removing an old cruise ship that had sunk in the 1950s and was beginning to leak oil. They worked together as a team to work to remove the hazard of having a huge spill in the Harbor.

Becoming an Admiral

Melissa assumed she wouldn’t make Admiral the summer she was selected and had begun to start looking for her next step in her career outside of the military. She ended up getting selected and moved to Colorado Springs to work at NorthCom. At the same time, she was getting married and adopted their daughter. She and her new husband were separated and stayed connected through traveling back and forth and relying on the support of the on-base childcare. It was a crazy time. And after being separated for four years of being separated her husband has been able to move to be with his family. With COVID and all the travel limitations, it has been a blessing to be together.

Bringing Women Together

Melissa felt it was important to bring women together when she was part of the US Coast Guard Alumni. She realized many women were not participating and if they were they didn’t see themselves as a leader of the organization. She wanted to help build comradery and help empower women so she created XXX. The organization has now expanded and is working to bring more positive changes to women within the service. It shows the power of bringing women together and how real change can happen.

The Lasting Impact

Melissa is currently a Rear Admiral in the US Coast Guard. She currently serves as the Judge Advocate General and Chief Counsel of the Coast Guard. She leads a dedicated group of 500 legal professionals who are responsible for the delivery of all legal services in support of the Coast Guard's missions, its units, and its people. She ended the interview talk about how the military changed the course of her life. And if you are planning to serve in the military know that you will change.

Connect with Melissa:

linkedin.com/in/melissabert

Mentioned in this episode:

Related Episodes:

In the Coast Guard Far From Home - Episode 21

Serving in the Coast Guard and MST - Episode 18

Dealing with Infertility in the Military - Episode 36

Check out the full transcript here.

Thank you to my Patreon Sponsor Col Level and above:
Kevin Barba, Adriana Keefe

Thank you Patreon members for your support. Want early access to episodes, ad-free content, and one on one mentorship advice? Become a Patreon member today! Click here.

Resources:

Women of the Military Mentorship Program

Girl's Guide to Military Service available where books are sold.

Signed copies of A Girl's Guide to Military Service

Girl's Guide to the Military Series

From Secret Squirrel to Wordsmith Jan 19, 2021

Show notes

At her first assignment, September 11th happened. She said the changes to the military were noticeable and she went from the work she was doing to help stand up the Combat Support for the F-16s patrolling the American skies.

Next, she helped prepare for the Iraq War and deployed to Saudi Arabia for the initial invasion. She was far enough away to not be in danger but worked long hours seven days a week.

Three years later she deployed to Afghanistan and was stationed in Kabul. She talked about the growing tension and the violence that came to Kabul while she was there. She shared about SFC Meredith Howard who died in the same roundabout she had been in hours before by an IED.

It was during her deployment she decided to leave the military. The military was offering bonuses to get out of the military, she had met a guy who was in the military and wanted to start a family, and was set to deploy again shortly after arriving home since her commander had written her assignment as voluntary when she hadn’t volunteered.

We covered the struggle of transitioning and the challenge of being a woman veteran. We also covered the first-hand experience women veterans who are military spouses understand when standing next to their spouses and are discounted for their service.

She ended the interview to say, that the military changed her life in ways that made her who she is today. She had the best and worst experiences. Add quote

Connect with Sarah:

www.sarahmaplesllc.com

www.afterthedd214.com

(@afterthedd214 on all platforms);

Mentioned in this episode (contains affiliate links):

Sirens: How to Pee Standing Up by Laura Colbert

A Girls Guide to the Military

Military Veteran Dad Podcast

5 Reasons it is harder to be a Military Spouse and a Veteran

Combat in Afghanistan

Our Best War Stories

Related Episodes:

Being a Counter-Intelligence Agent - Episode 53

The On-Set of Female Engagement Teams - Episode 104

Being part of the Initial Invasion of Iraq - Episode 91

Check out the full transcript here.

Thank you to my Patreon Sponsor Col Level and above:
Kevin Barba, Adriana Keefe

Thank you Patreon members for your support. Want early access to episodes, ad-free content, and one on one mentorship advice? Become a Patreon member today! Click here.

Resources:

Women of the Military Mentorship Program

Girl's Guide to Military Service available where books are sold.

Signed copies of A Girl's Guide to Military Service

Girl's Guide to the Military Series

Investment Opportunity with Mission First Capital Jan 14, 2021

Show notes

Who is Mission First Capital?

Mission First Capital is a real estate investment opportunity with a 100% veteran-owned company. In today's interview with Alex Breshears, investor relations, shares a little about why Mission First Capital was created and who it is for. The owners Phil Capron and Anthony Pinto both started investing in real estate and were able to see great returns. They wanted to make investing in real estate an option for more people without having to be a landlord. They specifically wanted to help military families.

Mission First Capital believes that what everyone needs to make better investment choices is time and by providing investment opportunities to people through Mission First Capital they are giving you more time. They do the research and you invest with them and then you see the returns.

Mission First Capital Growth Fund

The Mission First Capital Growth Fund was created to provide an alternative to the typical retirement style funds found in either the TSP (Thrift Savings Plan) or other options such as the stock market or 401k. The goal of the Capital Growth Fund is really meant to provide more of a nest egg. Investment opportunities start at $5,000. Each plan provides different terms of time commitment and expected returns.

The Mission First Capital Growth Fund gives investors 3 different options to choose from:

3 Years - 25%
5 Years - 50%
8 Years - 100%

So what does this mean for you the investor?

Here is a quick example to show you how your money could grow over time. Let's say you invest the minimum of $5,000 in 2021, which means in 2024 you can expect to receive $6,250 back. Now imagine if you invest $50,000, after 3 years you would put $62,500 in your pocket. If you invest $50,000 for 5 years you would put $75,000 in your pocket after those 5 years. If you invest $50,000 for 8 years, you would put $100,000 in your pocket after those 8 years.

The Mission First Capital Growth Fund Difference

If you were to compare the TSP fund returns over the past 20 years the average return is only at 6%. So as an example if you put in $50,000 into the TSP and $50,000 into the Mission First Capital Growth Fund in 2021 what would happen? Let's fast forward to 2029. With the TSP you would put only a total of $80,000 in your pocket. With the Mission First Capital Growth Fund in 8 years, you will have doubled your money and you are able to put $100,000 in your pocket. That's an average of $2,500 a year or $208 per month MORE that you are making on your investment than if you would have put that same money in the TSP.

Mission First Capital uses the number $50,000 as an example to show the type of returns you can get. Keep in mind the Mission First Capital Growth Fund allows an individual to invest as little as $5,000 to get started building their real estate investment portfolio. These examples are expected returns and not guaranteed returns for each fund.

Want to learn more about investing with Mission First Capital? Head over to their website today.

Check out the full transcript here.

Thank you to my Patreon Sponsor Col Level and above:
Kevin Barba, Adriana Keefe

Thank you Patreon members for your support. Want early access to episodes, ad-free content, and one on one mentorship advice? Become a Patreon member today! Click here.

Resources:

Women of the Military Mentorship Program

Girl's Guide to Military Service available where books are sold.

Signed copies of A Girl's Guide to Military Service

Girl's Guide to the Military Series

How Service Dogs Help Veterans Jan 12, 2021

Show notes

September 11th was a life-changing day for Danique, she went from a life without purpose to want to be a police officer. Through this decision, she ended up becoming a police officer (Master of Arms) in the Navy. She enlisted into the Navy in 2002 and went to Basic Training followed by her technical school. Her first unit was very toxic. In both leadership and the culture toward women.

Suffering an MST

She suffered an MST and when she went to report it, she was read her rights and asked questions that led her to believe that no help would come from the investigation. The toxic nature continued and eventually, she was reassigned.

Her next assignment was working to become an instructor. She suffered another MST by a member of the Army on the range She reported it again. The Army didn’t do anything and the SeaBee unit she was with did everything they could to try and resolve the case. Unfortunately, it didn’t help the problem to be resolved so she dropped from the course and was reassigned.

Medical issues end her career

Things were going well on the ship she was assigned until there was a medical issue that prevented her from being aboard the ship and she began a med board process. She started working with the security unit and overall, it was a good experience. Then the leadership changed and everything started to fall apart. She was eventually med boarded out of the Navy, but her DD-214 didn’t give her disability status.

She went back to school and applied for benefits through the VA. At school, her PTSD from toxic leadership made her struggle through her academics. Her professors encouraged her to get involved in a community. Although a veteran organization wasn’t where she wanted to go she began attending meetings and found her tribe.

Working with service dogs

She worked for various organizations and then three years ago started a non-profit, Leashes of Valor. The work they are doing to help veterans through service dogs is so important. Not only are they connecting veterans with service dogs, but she also talked about the work they are doing to change policy and the research to help make a change on the insurance side too.

If you want to learn more about Leashes of Valor visit their website: https://leashesofvalor.org or find them on social media Facebook, Instagram. Twitter

Connect with Danique:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniquemasingill/

Mentioned in this episode:

Advocacy with the Military Officer Association - Bonus episode

Ginny MST Coast Guard Survivor - Episode 18

Student Veterans of America

Check out the full transcript here.

Thank you to my Patreon Sponsor Col Level and above:
Kevin Barba, Adriana Keefe

Thank you Patreon members for your support. Want early access to episodes, ad-free content, and one on one mentorship advice? Become a Patreon member today! Click here.

Resources:

Women of the Military Mentorship Program

Girl's Guide to Military Service available where books are sold.

Signed copies of A Girl's Guide to Military Service

Girl's Guide to the Military Series

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

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Shift work

She and her husband served in the Reserves.

Leaving the military

Connect with Elaine:

Mentioned in this episode:

Related Episodes:

Roller Coaster of Military Life

Life changes

Advice for the next generation

Connect with Annie:

Mentioned in this episode:

Related Episodes:

A First Impression

Facing challenges

Still Worthy

Connect with Allie:

Mentioned in this episode:

Related Episodes:

Kathy Gallowitz - Beyond Thank You for Your Service

Rojan Robotham - Working Moms How We Do It

Mari Eder - The Girls Who Stepped Out of Line and Changed the Course of WWII

Joining the Military Band

From AF to Civilian

Lessons Learned Podcast

Connect with Charlan:

Mentioned in this episode:

Related Episodes:

From MIT to the Marine Corps

Deployment Loneliness

Becoming an astronaut at NASA

Mentioned in this Episode

Related Episodes:

The World Changes September 11th

Command in Alaska

Becoming an Admiral

Bringing Women Together

The Lasting Impact

Connect with Melissa:

Mentioned in this episode:

Related Episodes:

Connect with Sarah:

Mentioned in this episode (contains affiliate links):

Related Episodes:

Who is Mission First Capital?

Mission First Capital Growth Fund

So what does this mean for you the investor?

The Mission First Capital Growth Fund Difference

Suffering an MST

Medical issues end her career

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