From Military Spouse to Active Duty and Back Again -Episode 24
Alana served in the US Air Force for 4 years. She started out her military journey as a spouse and then joined active duty years later. She served in the medical field while in the military and got out to start a family. Her husband continues to serve active duty. She has now transitioned into the natural health field and owns a business teaching people about natural ways to care for themselves and their family. She is also passionate about the Military Spouse community and runs an online community called MilSpouse Tribe.
Listen to the full episode here.
Alana met her husband while she was still in high school. They had a plan for him to stay at the community college and then she would attend the community college after she graduated high school and then they would head off to a four-year institution. But her husband decided to leave community college behind and join the Air Force shortly after she graduated from high school. They were already engaged and got married about a year after he joined the Air Force. Their first assignment was in North Carolina where she was able to continue working on getting her degree in nursing.
From Big City to Small Town
Then he cross-trained into a new career field and they ended up at Mountain Home AFB in Idaho. The town near Mountain Home had a population of 11,000 and there was nowhere for her to continue her degree. She felt stuck and then had a crazy idea. Maybe she could join the military too. She knew she wanted to work in the medical field so when she went to talk to the recruiter, she had the information she needed to get the job she wanted. They also were able to work with her to get stationed back in Idaho when she completed boot camp and tech school.
She was a medic and worked in Labor and Delivery doing a job similar to a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN). She also worked Urgent Care, Ambulance Duty, and finished up in a clinic setting. Then she left the military to become a mom. She left the military at the beginning of January. Her daughter was born at the end of January and then in mid-February, they got orders to a new assignment. Leaving the military wasn’t what she expected and she felt a loss of purpose she had found being part of the military.

Transition Resources:
American Corporate Partners (Available for Milspouses)
Military Spouse Resources:
Milspouse Creative for Military Spouse Entrepreneurs
Episode’s Mentioned
Joining the Military Without a Career Field
Connect with Alana:
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