Sharing MST stories

Rachelle is sharing MST stories on her new podcast Silenced Voices. She joined the Air Force because of her mom. It was her service in the military that inspired Rachelle to join and serve. She served as a Public Affairs Officer in the Air Force. One of the things we discussed how the military worked to integrate social media into their strategy. She left the military through a medical board but stayed in Florida because she loved the community. We also discussed why she started Slicened Voices and what she hopes people will learn from the stories of MST survivors.

Sharing MST stories

Rachelle saw her mom as a hero growing up. She was a nurse in the Army. Even before September 11th, she thought she was a hero. But when September 11th happened and she started deploying to support the war effort it enforced this belief. She initially planned to join the military through the buddy program but her mom redirected her towards ROTC. And she ended up having a great experience in ROTC. Her career field would be Public Affairs. Perfect for her, since her degree was in communications.

Fairchild AFB

Her first assignment was at Fairchild Air Force Base in Washington. She was busy every day, but loved it. She talked about how the wing commander embraced the role of the PA team and she felt valued. She also went to her job training at the Defense Information School in Maryland. She learned so much there. It helped her get a strong foundation for her career. One of the highlights of her time was helping to plan and run the air show. There were a number of challenges, including a government shut down but she was able to accomplish the mission.

Special Operations

Her next assignment was at Hurlburt Field and was focused on supporting Special Operations. They have a unique mission and she was in charge of standing up new social media accounts along with wrangling organizations creating their own accounts. It was also where she left the military. She went through the process of getting medically separated after a hospitalization and her realizing she wasn’t fit to continue serving.

Silenced Voices

She recently launched Silenced Voices podcast that shares the stories of Military Sexual Trauma survivors. She hope to get the stories of survivors out so people can understand how much of a problem MST is within the military and how it affects people. And though hearing stories it may help lead to positive change.

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