Women of the Military

Latest Episodes:

Empowering Women through storytelling Jan 07, 2021

Show notes

This episode is sponsored by Freedom Sister Magazine!

Kerri found herself as a mom of three about to be a single mom with an opportunity to join the military. She decided to take the opportunity to join and began her military career. She served on active duty within the Missouri National Guard. Within six years of being in the National Guard she went from Enlisted to Officer. When her unit was deployed, they needed a Public Affairs Officer and she said yes to the opportunity and deployed to Iraq as a Public Affairs Officer. She shared stories of her experience in Iraq and the stories she was able to cover.

Coming home from deployment

When she came home from the deployment, she moved to Maryland to be closer to her kids and life seemed to be going well. Then the government shut down and she was furloughed and eventually lost her job. She frantically searched for a new job and moved again this time to Washington. Eventually, she got a part-time job and filled in her income bartending and eventually became full time.

She learned about Ms. Veteran American competition and competed in 2013 and was the second runner up and then took home the title in 2015. She went back on active duty National Guard in 2014 while serving as Ms. Veteran America. Through her advocacy work, she learned about the challenges military women and veterans face.

Life changes

She was working to become one of the first women to be in a combat role in her state when she found out she was pregnant. This unexpected, but a joyful event, changed her focus and she made the hard choice to leave the military behind so she could be home with her infant. Her husband continued to serve and is now retired.

Empowering Women through sharing stories

Out of a dream she decided to launch Freedom Sisters Media and now runs a podcast and media company. There are a number of transitioning resources out there, but there is still a void in the spiritual aspect of living in the military. Kerri is working to fill that gap and make an impact.

Connect with Kerri:

www.freedomsisters.com
Facebook
Instagram
LinkedIn

Mentioned in this episode:

Freedom Sister Magazine (affiliate link)

Is Boycotting the Military the Right Choice?

Related Episodes:

Women out to change the World - Episode 4

Sirens: How to Pee Standing Up - Episode 87

Sharing the Stories of Military Women - Episode 72

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

Top 10 Episodes for 2020 Jan 05, 2021

Show notes

Because of the demand for the podcast, I have decided to switch from a weekly episode to two episodes a week. This will give me the ability to share more stories along with doing specialized episodes to help highlight military women's issues and history. I'm excited about what is to come.

Number 10: Episode 105: Deputy Director of the Air National Guard

From planning to serve four years to Deputy Director of the Air National Guard. My guest, Maj Gen Dawne Deskins, this week didn’t want to join the military but needed a way to pay for college. Her dad said you only have to serve four years and then they will pay for your college. So she decided to join through ROTC. And 36 years later she is still in the Air Force.

Number 9: Episode 93: First Female Thunderbird Pilot

This week my guest is Nicole Malachowski. She is a combat veteran, the first female Thunderbird pilot, a former fighter squadron commander, a former White House Fellow and advisor, and a patient advocate. At five years old Nicole went to an air show in California and saw the F-4 fly and knew she wanted to be a fighter pilot. Even though women couldn’t be fighter pilots her family didn’t dissuade her from joining. She knew at 12 that she wanted to attend the Air Force Academy and even wrote a letter to the Academy letting them know she wanted to attend.

Number 8: Episode 103: Female Engagement Teams

Amy Forsythe served on five combat tours as a correspondent and Public Affairs Officer. In 2006, she was part of the first-ever Female Engagement Teams in Iraq. I am excited to share her story this week on the podcast as I have done a lot of research about Female Engagement Teams, but have found limited information. It will be exciting to hear her experience being on the first one. She has won numerous journalism awards, including the Marine Corps Broadcaster of the Year award in 2006, and the PRSA Bronze and Silver Anvil awards in 2009.

Number 7: Episode 100: What Advice Would You Give to Women considering Military Service

I pulled some of the pieces of military advice for young women from my guests. There are pieces of their quotes in the blog post, but take time to listen to their full advice on the podcast. And make sure if you are considering military service to take time to listen to the stories shared on the podcast. Women have been serving for generations and have so much advice to help make service for the next generation even better.

Number 6: Episode 57: Serving in Desert Storm

What do you know about Desert Storm? I loved getting to talk to Angela Beltz this week about her experience in the Army National Guard. She was one of the first to deploy for Desert Storm and talks about the challenges she faced. Also mentioned Episode 102: Serving in the Reserves Might not be what you Expect

Number 5: Episode 85: The Challenge of Officer Candidate School

It is challenging to be a woman in a leadership position in the military, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be done. We get a chance to see how Gwendolyn overcame the challenges she faced especially when she made the switch from Enlisted to Officer through Officer Candidate School.

Number 4: Episode 80: Joining the Marine Corps

Joining the Marine Corps seemed like a crazy idea, but it launched Jen’s career and it gave her so many tools that she has used for the rest of her life. Check out this great interview with Jen Furlong about her experience in the Marine Corps as a Public Affairs Officer.

Number 3: Episode 87: Sirens: How to Pee Standing Up

Laura served in the Army National Guard from March 2001-2009 as a military police officer. She was activated to active duty and deployed to Baghdad, Iraq from March 2003-July 2004. In 2019, Laura published her memoir, Sirens: How to Pee Standing Up, which is an alarming memoir of combat and coming back home.

Number 2: Episode 82: What Branch of the Military Should I Join?

Deciding to join the military is a big decision on its own, but it isn’t where the decisions end. There are six branches of the military that you can serve in. The Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Navy, Marine Corps, and Space Force. Each branch has its own culture and mission and making sure to pick the one that fits you best is an important step when joining the military. You also need to consider if you would like to serve on active duty, in the National Guard or Reserves. There is no one right answer. The best branch for you needs to meet your goals and aspirations and not just be focused on the “perks” of one branch over another. Depending on why you are joining and what you are looking for will help you determine what branch and way you should serve in the military.

Number 1: Episode 58: Overcoming Rape in the Military

Can you imagine what it is like to be a woman in the military? Unfortunately being raped is one of the struggles women face. Ruthie is a rape survivor She shares her story this week on the podcast about being raped, not once but twice and what she did to help someone who was being harassed. Ruthie served in the US Army for 8.5 years. She was stationed in California, Kentucky, Georgia, and Texas. She also did a 12-month tour in Afghanistan. she separated from the Army as a Staff Sergeant (E-6) in 2015. After staying at home for several months, she went back to work as a federal contractor in Maryland.

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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

My Mom Called the Army Recruiter Dec 22, 2020

Show notes

This episode is made possible by Freedom Sisters Magazine.

Freedom Sister Magazine is a premier digital magazine app designed to share the stories of women veterans. It launches in January of 2021. Learn more here.

Rachael Jackson is a graduate of the United States Military Academy, a former Army Captain, and an Apache helicopter pilot. She holds a degree in Engineering Physics with a minor in Nuclear
Engineering. But she found her passion for entrepreneurship and helping connect people to a more meaningful life. She believes in the power of strategic storytelling to connect people in more meaningful relationships and to resources for hope, help, and purpose. She wants to partner with leaders to help them create stronger, more inspired, and more resilient organizations.

Rachael was not making the best choices and her mom didn’t know what to do. A friend at church suggested she call an Army recruiter. So she did. Rachael listened to the Army recruiter and decided to join the Army. She attended Bootcamp and while at Advanced Individual Training her friend told her about a program to become an Officer by attending West Point. Her uncle had told her if she could find a way to be an officer she should. So she applied.

Less than two years after being on active duty she began her West Point journey. She began at the prep school and then completed her degree in Physics and graduated from West Point branched as Aviation. And eventually became an Apache Helicopter Pilot

When she was preparing for her deployment to Iraq she started to notice some odd medical issues. She pushed them aside and continued to prepare and headed off to Iraq. Her symptoms began to worsen and she started blacking out for no reason. She was quickly grounded and soon after was sent home from her deployment early. The military ran a number of tests and within six months of returning home, she was medically discharged from the Army.

It was devastating to leave the Army. She had planned to make a career out of the Army and felt her identity stripped away from her. She went through depression, but through it, she grew stronger in her faith and as a person. She ended up getting a call from a former West Point professor who connected her with an opportunity to work at SAIC. There she learned about entrepreneurship, with the first book being Good to Great. She eventually left and worked a government job, but recently felt called to start a business and which you can learn more about here.

She said the Army was a great place for her. It got her away from the bad influences in her life and helped her with discipline and changed her path. But the Arnt has bad and good people just like the world and you need to go in knowing that you can’t trust anyone. I loved the advice, “don’t take advice from someone who is not where you want to be.”

Connect with Rachael:

www.tribalapp.com

Mentioned in this episode:

Beyond the Point by Claire Gibson

Good to Great

Related Episodes:

The First Female Thunderbird Pilot – Episode 95

Before Women Could Be Fighter Pilots – Episode 29

A Navigator in the Air Force – Episode Episode 62

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

Deputy Director of the Air National Guard Dec 15, 2020

Show notes

Maj Gen Dawne Deskins was planning to be a broadcast journalist as she prepared for college, but her parents didn’t have a way to pay for college. Her dad decided to fix the problem of getting college paid for by signing her up for the Reserve Officer Training Corps Program (ROTC). So, she was quite surprised when a Captain called her and told her about reporting to ROTC. She then called her dad and learned he had signed her up.

ROTC Scholarship

She agreed to ROTC so that she could get a scholarship. She would only have to serve four years and then she could go and be a broadcast journalist. The Air Force initially had her slated to serve as a Missler. But things were changing and they didn’t think they had enough women to man the two-man crews. So instead, she became an Air Weapons Controller (now know as Air Battle Manager).

She went to Tyndall AFB for school and ended up meeting her future husband. Their quick romance led them to get married before she moved to the next assignment which was in Washington at McCord AFB. She enjoyed her job and her husband eventually caught up with her in Washington and began going to school. While there she had her first child a son. Life was crazy being a mom, having her husband going to school, but it was her life and she didn’t know what else to expect.

From Active Duty to the Air National Guard

She stayed in the Air Force on active duty because she had the opportunity to go back to Florida to be an instructor. Her husband found a job in Florida and had graduated college so it worked well for them. At the 10-year point, she felt as though things were getting too complicated and she decided to separate. But she was curious about the National Guard and applied to serve in her home state of New York.

She ended getting a full-time role in the National Guard and found the stability she needed for her and her family to continue the serve. She was able to make it to the role of Commander and as she approached her high year tenure she started planning for retirement. But then she had the opportunity to come to DC for a one-year assignment and work on Military Sexual Trauma revisions. She also was promoted to Brigadier General.

She continued to serve one assignment after another and in 2018 she was selected to be a Major General. And in July of 2020 became the Deputy Director of the Air National Guard and is currently there today.

Mentioned in this Episode:

The First Women Thunderbird Pilot (Nicole Malowiski)

Brigadier General Wilma Vaught

Related Episodes

Sharing the stories of military women (Maj Gen Mari Eder)

When Public Affairs Changed

Serving in the Guard and Reserves

See 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 onset of Female Engagement Teams Dec 08, 2020

Show notes

This episode is made possible by Freedom Sisters Magazine.

Freedom Sister Magazine is a premier digital magazine app designed to share the stories of women veterans. It launched in January of 2021. Learn more here.

She joined the Defense Information School faculty in 2019 as a government civilian after four years as bureau chief for the Defense Media Activity in Guam, supervising day-to-day operations and coordinating multimedia coverage throughout the Indo-Pacific region.
She served as a combat correspondent and public affairs chief in the Marine Corps from 1993 through 2010, when she was commissioned as a public affairs officer in the Navy Reserve.
Her first duty station was Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where she produced daily radio and video reports as part of Operation Sea Signal and Joint Task Force 160, the military operation in response to the influx of Cuban and Haitian migrants attempting to gain asylum in the U.S. She transferred to Camp Pendleton, California in 1995. She served as a military journalist for the base newspaper and operations manager for the commander’s information channel. In 2003, she served as an instructor in the broadcast and public affairs departments at the Defense Information School, and while at DINFOS, was selected to be one of the first on-air anchors of the Pentagon Channel when it debuted in 2004.
In 2002, she was mobilized and deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. She also deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom with the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force to Fallujah and Ramadi, Iraq, in 2006 and 2008. It was in 2006, the value of the intelligence information was believed to be among the Iraqi women. Women would talk to each other as they performed their daily tasks and had a wealth of information. But American men were unable to gather that intelligence.

Women began to be integrated into combat arm units to gather that information and the role of Female Engagement Teams began. Many people do not understand the role of women in the Iraq and Afghan conflicts over the past twenty years. Because of the work women have done, now all roles are open to women within the military. This changed was due to the courage and commitment of women starting with Female Engagement Teams.

She was mobilized to active duty for two more deployments to Afghanistan, serving as the senior U.S. PAO at the German-led NATO Command in 2012 and as the PAO for Combined Special Operations Joint Task Force under the Joint Special Operations Command in 2018.
She served a yearlong tour in 2014 at U.S. Africa Command in Stuttgart, Germany, supporting special operations exercises in Niger, coordinating a large-scale African media conference and helping to develop contingency plans for the military response to the Ebola virus. In 2019, she served as the PAO for naval support facilities and Aegis Ashore missile defense systems in Romania and Poland.
As a civilian, she has worked as a general assignments and military beat reporter for NBC affiliates in San Diego, and as a producer and anchor for Oceanside Community Television in northern San Diego County, She was an adjunct professor at the California International Business University, teaching at the undergraduate, graduate and doctorate levels. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in communication from California State University at San Marco and a Master of Science in global leadership from the University of San Diego.
She has won numerous journalism awards, including the Marine Corps Broadcaster of the Year award in 2006, and the PRSA Bronze and Silver Anvil awards in 2009.

Connect with Amy:

Instagram

How A Care Package Created a Business – Episode 74

Finding Herself in the Marines – Episode 12

Want to read the whole transcript? Click 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 a Dentist in the Military Dec 01, 2020

Show notes

Corinne was born overseas and lived on six different military bases while her father CDR (retired) Robert F. Devin served in the Dental Corps. Nine generations of a distinguished Naval family preceded Corinne and inspired her to pursue a career in the United States Navy. She deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2009 with the United States Navy to Al Asad, Iraq, and has enjoyed her travel to over 50 countries in Europe, Middle East, and Asia.
Her naval career started at Naval Medical Center San Diego as a resident, followed by an operational tour with 13th Dental Company MCAS Miramar. From there she was an orthodontic resident at Lackland Air Force Base where upon graduation she transferred to USNH Yokosuka, Japan. She served as the division officer in orthodontics managing two practices on two islands and continued to Naval Medical Center San Diego as Chair of Orthodontics.
Her professional education consists of a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications from St. Mary’s College, Doctorate of Dental Medicine from University of Nevada Las Vegas School of Dental Medicine, Advanced Education in General Dentistry, Master’s Degree in Oral Biology from Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, Tri-Service Orthodontic Residency Program and board certification as a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics.
CDR Devin is the Department Head of Dental Specialties and the sole orthodontic provider where she proudly serves the military active duty and their families at the United States Naval Hospital Sigonella. She currently lives in Catania, Sicily, Italy, and has a love for fitness, travel, and pageantry.
Devin’s personal awards and decorations include the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (five awards), Fleet Marine Force Officer Insignia, and the Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal (two awards) for her active involvement in the community.

Connect with Devin:

Facebook
Instagram
Youtube: Dr. Corinne Devin
Linkedin: Corinne Devin

Related Episodes:

A Muslim American in the Army - Episode 98

Being an Air Force Nurse - Episode 41

From the Navy to Entrepreneur - Episode 27

Want to read the full transcript? Click 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

Serving in the Reserves Might Not Be What You Expect Nov 24, 2020

Show notes

This episode is made possible by Freedom Sisters Magazine.

Freedom Sister Magazine is a premier digital magazine app designed to share the stories of women veterans. It launches in January of 2021. Learn more here.

*This post contains affiliate links

Cynthia’s sister heard about the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) and that you could get a monthly stipend while going to school so they decided to join. She really enjoyed her time in ROTC and had great Vietnam veteran leaders that worked to give them hands-on experience. She got married before she graduated and moved to Alaska with her husband and was able to work with the University of Alaska and the National Guard to continue ROTC and eventually commission and go active duty at her husband’s base. She spent 3 years on active duty. Her husband retired from the military and wanted to move back to Mississippi so she switched from active duty to Reserves.

She said while in the Reserves she was sometimes called the “man day queen.” A typical Reserve requirement is 50 days a year and she often was called up and served 150 days a year. She stood up in various units and did different jobs. When Desert Storm came they were put on standby, but never activated. Her step-son did get activated and since he had full custody of his son she and her husband took him in and he lived with him for a whole year.

She did various stints on active duty and six months leading up to September 11th is one of those incidents. She was working on a program that worked to track the accountability of service members in and out of the country. After Desert Storm the military was continually working to prepare for the next war and adapt technology to fix problems, they had in Desert Storm. On September 11th she was packing to head back home and knew that she would likely be activated. Her boss told her to go home like she planned and four days later she was activated and then deployed to Kuwait to work on the same program she had worked on the six months leading up to September 11th. She got home in October of 2002 and then in January of 2003 was reactivated to help prepare for Iraq in South Carolina. She ended being sent to Kuwait but was only there for 3 weeks as the initial invasion happened so fast and the mass causalities that were expected never came.

She talked about being the only woman so many times throughout her career. It led her to grow tough skin and not show her emotion. People often saw her as tough when in reality her personality is very different than the exterior she put on as a military officer. She thinks that the military has changed a lot in the past 30 years and it is because of the women who have served and spoken up. With more women in leadership, the impact of the change women is making will only increase.

She also was able to co-author a book in partnership with Camouflaged Sisters. Leading from the Middle was co-authored by 12 military women sharing their experience and leadership lessons from the military. Today she runs Patton Leadership and She Leads 365.

Connect with Cynthia:

www.pattonleadership.com

www.sheleads365.com

Mentioned in this episode:

Leading from the Middle

Lila Holley interview

Related Episodes:

From Military to Award Winning Author - Episode 92

Military Women and their History – Episode 70

Being an Air Force Nurse – Episode 41

Want to read the full transcript? Click here

Thank you to my Patreon Sponsors 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 Enlisted While Married to an Officer Nov 17, 2020

Show notes

Enter the giveaway this week!

Why not join the National Guard?

Kayla was encouraged by her step-father to join the military, but she didn’t want to serve on active duty because the idea of moving every few years didn’t sound appealing to her. That is when she learned about serving in the Air National Guard. Being in the Guard would allow her to serve in the military, but would also make it so she wouldn’t have to move. She enlisted in February and started drilling waiting for her school slot.

She had hoped to start boot camp in the summer and complete her tech school in the fall so she would only miss one semester of school, but her bootcamp dates ended up being in September and the six month tech school that followed led her having to miss an entire year of school. But she met her husband at tech school. They started dating and both were serving in the Guard and were able to date via long distance and right before their one-year dating anniversary were engaged.

Moving to be with her husband

Because her husband was in another state and was working full time in the Guard unit she decided to move from Nevada to Arizona. She had to go through a number of steps to be released from her Guard unit and it took a few months to get all the paperwork completed and signed. Once she had the release, she worked with her husband’s unit to get assigned there and was able to make the switch fairly seamlessly.

Mental health

One of the struggles she faced in her time in the military was being diagnosed with anxiety and depression. She was also in a unit where an officer committed suicide. The suicide changed the unit, but also made it easier to be open and honest with her struggles. She attributed having a supportive environment as one of the ways that she was able to find help during her mental health journey. There are a lot of misconceptions about mental health and she is passionate about sharing her experience and helping to break down the stigmas.

Married to an officer

Her husband also went from enlisted to officer to become a pilot in the Air Force. She finds that sometimes people have questions about how she and her husband can be married since she is enlisted and he is an officer. But people often ask other people what is going on instead of confronting them directly and this can lead to gossip and un-needed drama. She says that it has been a balancing act and she has had to learn and adjust course as different situations arise. But overall, she loves being a military spouse and loves continuing to serve in the Air Force.

She encourages young women to do their research if they want to join the military. She didn’t know their were options outside of active duty and almost missed her chance to serve. She also recommends talking to someone who is not a recruiter to help steer them in the right direction. If you are looking for someone to talk to or have questions please feel free to reach out to me or check out my free “Girls Guide to the Military.”

Connect with Kayla:

instagram.com/kayla.rak

Website: kaylarak.com

Mentioned in this episode:

Girls Guide to the Military

Related Episodes:

From Active Duty to National Guard – Episode 10

When Public Affairs Changed – Episode 67

Serving During Desert Storm – Episode 57

Want to read the whole transcript? Click 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

Military Advice for Young Women Nov 10, 2020

Show notes

Here are all the women who shared their advice. Check out the transcript for the full audio track.

Cynthia Cline – Episode 3 03:06

Mandy Snell – Episode 6 05:35

Shakeia Kegler – Episode 9 06:34

Annette Whittenberger – Episode 11 07:07

Suzie Wilcox – Episode 12 07:58

Katrina Moon – Episode 15 09:20

Tammy Bartlet – Episode 21 10:01

Lacy Langford – Episode 22 10:30

Pam Chavez – Episode 23 11:22

Linsey Daley – Episode 26 12:13

Natalie Olivero - Episode 27 12:41

Kelly Rodriquez – Episode 30 13:20

Vanessa King – Episode 31 14:59

Kerry Karwan – Episode 36 16:35.

Jasmin Hurley – Episode 38 19:20

Honorable Deborah James – Episode 40 21:45

Katie Horgan – Episode 51 22:59

Angela Tormey – Episode 63 24:10

Samantha Glassman – Episode 62 25:17

Nicole Terwey – Episode 56 26:42

Gen Wilma Vaught – Episode 65 28:00

Lesley Lykins – Episode 67 29:35

Gwendolyn Jules – Episode 85 32:03

Richelle Futch – Episode 86 32:55

Laura Colbert – Episode 87 34:05.

Kim Sciutto-Bailey Episode 90 35:43

Nicole Malachowski – Episode 93 36:51

Ashleigh Magee – Episode 98 37:31

Want to read the whole transcript? Click here

Thank you to my Patreon Sponsor Col Level and above

Kevin Barba, Adriana Keefe

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Are you interested in becoming a sponsor for Women of the Military Podcast? Check out my sponsorship package 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 Fewer the Prouder Marine Women Nov 03, 2020

Show notes

Janell was interested in serving in the military and she began her journey to the military through the Civil Air Patrol program. Once she began Civil Air Patrol, she knew she wanted to serve in the military and set her sights on attending a military academy. Initially, she wanted to attend the Air Force Academy, but as she began talking to her senator, she was encouraged to look at all the Academies. As she began looking into other options the Marine Corps grabbed her attention and after attending a summer program at both the AF Academy and the Naval Academy she knew where she wanted to go.

The Naval Academy is a risky way to become a Marine Officer because you don’t find out if you will go into the Marines or the Navy until later on in your military career. If she had wanted to be guaranteed the Marines, she could have done ROTC. But she wanted to attend the Academy and took the risk.

*post contains affiliate links

When she went on active duty she went to school at Quantico and during training injured her knee. This delayed her from graduating and it wasn’t until she was close to the 2-year mark that she completed school and was at her first assignment. Shortly after arriving at her base she was assigned to be part of new deployment that attached women to Marine Infantry units. She was part of the Cultural Support Team and mentioned that if you want to learn more about that experience you can read Ashley’s War.

We also talked about the challenges of being a married to a Marine. She met her husband a few months before deploying and they connected and stayed in contact through both her deployment and his that followed. It has been challenging to work to be stationed together and more challenges came when she gave birth to her son. She said she couldn’t have continued to serve without the help of both her mother in-law and mom. They came out and helped with her son while her husband was deployed and she was working extreme hours.

As her son gets older, she wants to spend more time with him. So, she decided to transition from active duty to the Reserves. At the time of the interview she was in the process of preparing for the transition and was excited about what the next phase of life will bring.

She wanted to share the advice of grow where you are planted. And not in the way of shut up and do what you are told, but as she planned her career opportunities came to her she never expected and they changed the course of her life. She encourages people to be open to taking that next opportunity and to do their best in each life situation they are in. You never know who is watching and what opportunity will happen next.

She has enjoyed her time in the military and encourages women to consider joining. If you want to learn more about the Marine Corps or have question to connect with Janell on LinkedIn and send her a message. You can also contact me if you need help connecting.

Connect with Jenell:

Medium
I also volunteer with Beyond the Uniform
https://beyondtheuniform.org

Resources from Janell:

https://thewarhorse.org/reflections-archives/no-really-how-are-you-doing/
https://women.usnagroups.net/2020/03/09/sign-up-for-a-sport-you-suck-at/
https://medium.com/@janell.hanf/my-first-steps-toward-afghanistan-followed-a-hand-sketched-map-e2f76f0a460f?sk=1dd5b866f51aa678bdc941e4b613c9e0

Mentioned in this episode:

Ashley’s War

Girls Guide to the Military

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Related Episodes:

Civil Air Patrol to Air Force Episode 31

Serving as an Officer in the Marine Corps – Episode 51

Finding Herself in the Marine Corps – Episode 12

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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