When Danielle left the military she felt alone and was looking for a community with women veterans. So, she created her non-profit Served Like HER. Once she connected with other veterans she began to learn about other women veteran organizations that supported her in the work that she was doing. And she continues to work to create events that help support the women veteran community. Hear her story of serving in the Air Force this week on the Women of the Military podcast.
Looking for community with women veterans
Danielle considered joining the military in high school but was steered away from serving. A few years later a friend who was serving in the Air Force told her she should consider joining. She was working and trying to go to college and needed something different. She ended up joining and working in the Information Technology career field. Begining her career at Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina. She worked in the help room and didn’t know a lot about computers. She was able to learn and grow from the help of leaders and had pinned on Staff Sergent right before heading to her next assignment in Arkansas.
From mission support to ops
At Little Rock AFB in Arkansas, she switched from the support side of the Air Force to the operations. She supported the C-130s with their equipment and had a lot of cool and interesting experiences. But she also faced challenges. She was a mom and her then-husband struggled to find a job and it required her to move without him. She arrived to find out she needed to go TDY in a few months and had to utilize her family care plan to take care of her daughter.
The stress of life, being a mom, her then-husband’s medical issues, and having another child led her to want to leave the military but continue to serve in the Reserves. She applied for place chase so she could transfer to the Reserves but because of limited manning, she was unable to leave. She ended up leaving because of her pregnancy and the military only gave her a week after approval to get out processed. In her transition, she faced many challenges but was able to find a way forward.
Community of women veterans
She wished I had a community of fellow women veterans to help her through those challenges. After years of contemplating and making excuses I decided to be the change, so with my own money and time, she has started an organization, or rather a women’s veteran society called, HER (heroism, excellence, and resilience).
HER is a Non-Profit 501c3 organization under the name Served Like HER, Inc. We serve the New Braunfels and surrounding areas including San Antonio with the hope of serving more of her sisters in arms in the near future. Her goal is to combat the challenges women veterans have experienced by offering camaraderie through community. They also provide resources through partnerships with other local veteran organizations. They also work directly with women veterans to connect them with the resources they need to thrive.
Connect with Danielle:
www.vetslikeher.org
FB & IG: VetsLikeHER
