SERVED: Military Women’s Stories is a podcast that highlights experiences of female veterans in and out of uniform. From comments like, “You don’t look like a veteran,” to “You mean your husband was in the military,” to “They don’t really give guns to girls, do they?” This podcast aims to educate and dispel assumptions about women who’ve served.
Tops in Blue - Performance in Bosnia. For 10 months I had a special duty assignment with Air Force Entertainment. I performed in about 24 countries and 40+ states.
Issued a new Geneva Conventions Card in 2003 in prep to deploy to Baghdad City. (My deployment was canceled days before I was due to head out.)
Promotion to Staff Sergeant while stationed at the Air Force Academy.
My military job - I analyzed body fluids in a hospital lab for 6 years.
Episode 08: Annette Whittenberger
Disabled Iraq & Afghanistan combat veteran Annette Whittenberger shares her experiences of having military spouse, both deploying as young parents, balancing the demands of personal and professional responsibilities, an unexpected retirement, and becoming an advocate for mental health awareness. Visit Annette’s website here.
Episode 07: Charlynda Scales
Charlynda Scales, Founder and CEO of Mutt’s Sauce, shares how her grandfather’s “Mutt’s” military service inspired her personal and professional journey, how finding balance in business and motherhood provided space for self-care, and her continues drive to be of service out of uniform. www.muttssauce.com
Episode 06: Melody Allen McBeth
Melody Allen McBeth, the Executive Director of the Defense Language Institute Foundation and business owner of Highland Advancement Solutions, shares her experiences of joining the Army at the end of the Vietnam War, becoming a Russian linguist, staying active with her military and DLI community, and providing opportunities as an entrepreneur. DLI webpage here.
Episode 05: Dr. Heather Silvio
Dr. Silvio shares her experiences of providing mental health services while deployed to Native American reservations, developing PTSD Treatment Programs for the VA in Las Vegas, and being the Deputy Director of the Council for a Strong America’s Police Training Institute, all while publishing 14 books and finding time to perform with her neighborhood community theatre. www.heathersilvio.com
Episode 04: Sonja Reiss
Women’s Army Corps veteran Sonja Reiss, born in 1928, shares her story of growing up in a bilingual household, being recruited as an officer for the newly formed WAC unit, experiencing integration and segregation in the south, her unexpected discharge from the military, and finding fulfillment out of uniform.
Episode 03: Karen Vasquez
Karen, a Persian Gulf War veteran, shares her experiences of working in the beauty industry, the importance of health and safety regulations in the workplace, and her discover of stand-up comedy as a means of education and healing. Visit Karen’s Instagram here.
Episode 02: Satinder Kaur
Iraqi War veteran Satinder Kaur shares her story of immigrating to the U.S. in middle school, enlisting in the Army just before 9/11, deploying to Iraq, returning to India to rediscover her roots, and sharing these experiences as a successful filmmaker in Los Angeles. www.satikaur.com
Episode 01: Welcome to Served
A bit about me and why I thought the planet could use ANOTHER podcast! All podcast image credits to Katie Boo Johnson.