WomenWhoServed Magazine September Issue 2018

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September 2018

Army

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Air

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Force

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Navy

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Marines

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Coast

Guard

WOMENWHOSERVED Magazine

Air Force Veteran (AD) . Author, & Entrepreneur.

Yolanda Winston

WS Magazine

"Faith without works is dead, which means you must believe it and work hard to get whatever you want and surround yourself with positive people who have achieved more".

Our Mission:

"To Highlight,

Celebrate, and Honor ALL Women Veterans..."


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BE bold.

"Be bold. take action".

xo, Christie

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Subscribe today for only $2.99 monthly! (Digital Access) visit: www.WomenVeteransMagazine.org

Thank You in Advance for Supporting the Magazine & Your Fellow Women Veterans. www.WomenVeteransMagazine.org


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Our Mission: Is Simply to Highlight, Celebrate & Honor ALL Women Veterans. In you are interested in being a Contributor/Writer for the WomenWhoServed Magazine Finances | Health | Beauty | Nutrition | Fashion | Transition | MST/PTSD & More

Email us at: info@WomenVeteransMagazine.org

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Inside Phenomenal WomenWhoServed

On the cover: Air Force Active Duty & Entrepreneur Interviewee

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Happy Two Year Anniversary WomenWhoServed Magazine!

Magazine

WWS WomenWhoServed

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New Website Coming Soon!

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24 Months | 11 Issues Published  MANY more to go! Our Mission remains the same.... " Highlight, Celebrate, and Honor ALL Women Veterans"

It ALL started  here....

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Army Veteran

Demetricka Green

My name is Sergeant First Class Demetricka Green I am a Senior Human Resource Sergeant assigned to 3rd MP Group at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, GA . I am a mother of 4 ages range from 21 to 9months. My husband was recently medically retired and I’ve been serving for 10 years now . I’ve been deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan. I also did a tour in Korea . My duty assignments include: 4/1 BCT in Fort Bliss , TX ,15th Sustainment Brigade in Fort Bliss , TX and also Special Operations Command Central in Tampa, FL. In my spare time I love writing and volunteering in the community

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Air Force Veteran Ashleigh Evans I commissioned from GWU ROTC in 2013 as a surface warfare officer. My first year on the ship, an E7 told me I would fail as a SWO. Soon after, I was told that nobody respected me. These blatant forms of disrespect started my path into investigating how people assigned value to a person, as I felt mine had been challenged. At the time, I put all my energy into establishing my personal value through financial value. Maybe not the right answer, but it was my answer at the time. I read “Rich Dad Poor Dad” and made the decision I wanted to be a millionaire at 30. I met a millionaire who taught me about tax liens, and I bought my first property through a tax lien in 2015. I then bought a personal home using my VA loan in 2016. Both are now rentals that provide a little passive income. Eventually, my path of real estate investing and reaching for financial independence became an outlet for the tumultuous time I spent at work. I was forced to grapple with my flaws as an entrepreneur because nobody was responsible for my shortcomings but me - maybe I wasn’t a good communicator. Maybe I am passive-aggressive. Maybe I’m not as good with saving as I should be. I found a community of financially independent people who were willing to meet and accept and teach me for who I am, right now, at this current stage of life. What a powerful concept!! All this contributed to me submitting my resignation letter in August 2018. The FIRE (Financial independence Retire Early) community empowered me to pursue the goals I initially joined the Navy to achieve - delivering babies. I am currently applying to grad programs for MSN-midwifery programs. Wish me luck on my journey!

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Women Gulf War Veterans : Book Anthology Vol. 1 Be Featured in the Inaugural Issue! Visit: www.WomenVeteransMagazine.org to register Today!


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Air Force Veteran (AD) Yolanda Winston Entrepreneurship Interview

WWS Magazine: When and why did you start you Nonprofit Organization. What's the Name of Your Organization) YW: 2017- Month Name: Care Packs for Cancer Caregivers, Inc. How: The idea was birthed one night while sitting at the computer and I saw an email. I just lost my mother Jessie Marie Fairrow on my birthday the year before to Stage IV Rectal Cancer Metastasized to the Liver. She fought that battle with me for six months before taking her final breath on my birthday and I was the only one by her side me and one of my prayer warriors. The Headline in the email of the email stated calling all Difference Makers. It stated, “If you are a woman that can come up with a random idea to make a difference in your community in the lives of women what would you do? You can win a $200.00 grant, a banner and 10 T- Shirts for your volunteers. I applied for the grant and I won. I called the project, “Care Packs for Cancer Caregiver’s”, I made 10 people (5 Veterans) care packs that were actively taking care of a loved one with Stage IV Cancer. www.WomenVeteransMagazine.org

I organized an event, and with the help of my daughter’s volleyball team from Girls Inc., friends, Reynolds Cancer Center, and a few local businesses. I gave all 10 caregivers care packs that included food, gift cards from Walmart, Chick fila, Texas Roadhouse Grill. Each person received at least 50.00 in gift cards, notepads, journals, bibles, snacks to help them take care of themselves while they took care of their loved one. I had catered Chick fila and we had our first annual banquet to honor people who took time our of their career to take care of a loved one with a Chronic Disease. I thought what about the experience I had from the time my mother called me on the phone on a Friday after going the emergency room. I was preparing for Oct Drill 2015 that weekend, we had some Inspectors in from NGB in Washington D.C. they were preparing to do an inspection over my program in which I am the NCOIC (Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge) of Medical Records Administration for the entire 188th Wing. I am responsible for 900+ records for the members of the Air National Guard. Continued on Next Page:


Yolanda Winston-continued

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Yolanda Winston- continued WomenWhoServed Magazine

As you know with inspectors in town we were already on edge. The telephone rang and I stepped out of the office, my mom knew that I took care of members on my base and that I was passionate about helping people and that I could get things done under pressure. She hit me with the news and called me by my nickname “Bink” I just went to the emergency room and the doctors said I have Stage IV aggressive cancer they said that they are admitting me today, I need you to get here. I was in the middle of an inspection, my stomach dropped and my eyes turned blood shot red and I could not stop crying. From that moment, my instant instinct went into superpower mode and my faith in God kicked in. I said, “ momma we are going to fight cancer, don’t worry I got your back. I will be by your side. After finding out the devasting news. It was a difficult blessing that my mother trusted me with her last days. It meant a lot but it was difficult because I knew that this was one case that I did not want to manage. Although I managed hundreds of cases for members in Wing on a daily basis. I tried to get myself together to go back in the office to face my teammates, my boss and the inspectors. I just could not pull myself together. I called my boss Maj Bridgette Scott and my co-workers, TSgt Kelli Gray, MSgt Gina Frey in my office and we closed the door. I told them the devasting news and my boss said put everything down and go and take care of your mother. I did not want to leave them and they were had not had time to review my continuity binder that was prepared for the inspector. I did not want to leave my team like that. My co-worker and sister from another mother TSgt Kelli Gray, told me to give her my binder and she took that binder like she had created it and went into the interview with those inspectors and confidently briefed my program without even reviewing what I had prepared. We passed the inspection. What I learned was that when you work together with others that are different from you and that have different strengths and weaknesses that your teamwork can accomplish the mission. My strengths were in organization, administrative and her gifts were communicating effectively under pressure with high ranking officials. Together we got our mission accomplished for our Wing. I also learned what it was to have empathy for caregivers of cancer patients.

For the next 6 months, I noticed that there were abundant resources for Cancer patients but limited resources for Cancer Caregivers, such as: for me I had money to take care of my household, I had health insurance, life insurance, supplemental insurance etc. I was not prepared financially to take care of my mother that I loved who did not have medical insurance, long term care, life insurance or even any money saved. Within, 30 days I applied for health insurance, long term care, social security, case management, found her a respite care agency to have someone to assist while I worked full-time in the military, part time drill, took care of my household and made sure she had necessities to be comfortable and during this difficult transition. I also applied for assistance from the American Cancer society who gifted us with a hotel stay for one week my mother and I to take our first road trip in 40 years together to Houston, Texas to world renowned cancer treatment center MD Anderson to get a second opinion, because the second opinion we had received in Pine Bluff, AR from another Oncologist was the same and he said that she had up to 2 years to live. I learned how important is was to be able to enjoy your loved one, have time to relax and laugh, go out to restaurants, and we also attended Joel Osteen Church where I learned that his mother Dottie Osteen had a power ministry where God had healed her from the same cancer that my mother had almost two decades before. I received that as confirmation that God was a healer, so I packed my mom up and encouraged her to go to the prayer healing service with me. We argued a little because she was not use to my military passion, discipline and work that I do on a daily basis. I told her she was going because she had to remember that we were fighting cancer. We were blessed that night for Dottie to lay hands on my mother and pray for her. We had a wonderful time worshiping God and had the honor of seeing John Gray’s ministry as well. Experiencing all of that first hand let me know how much I could make a difference in others lives with gas cards, gift packs, hotel vouchers, financial assistance, day and night respite care and quality case management to help caregivers find much needed assistance, and of course vacation giveaways due to how much stress that relieved my mother and I during that difficult time. That is why I wanted to start this nonprofit. WWS Magazine: Name 2-3 challenges faced starting out.

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WomenWhoServed Magazine Yolanda Winston- continued

YW: No funding, grants, or corporate sponsors just my vision and a $200.00 grant to get started - Lack of knowledge of 501c3- I hired a consultant to complete the paperwork for and learned as I filled out documentation, for state and federal government requirements - I didn’t know that I was going to be the CEO for a company that women and men from all branches of service nationwide would be exposed too but God knew that is why he prepared me as a case manager and a medical records clerk all those years in the Air Force sitting at the round table, briefing the Wing and Group Commanders on base about the current status of members that I managed their Medical Evaluation Boards for Chronic conditions like PTSD, Cancer, Anxiety, Depression and Multiple Sclerosis. I planted so many seeds and took care of those people just like I wanted someone else to take care of my family. WWS Magazine: Did any of your Military training and or experience prove to beneficial on this journey? YW: Yes - Managing Medical Records in Air Force since 2006 for the last 12 years- taught me how to be effective managing medical cases for serious conditions that affected not only them but their family and some it ended their careers in the military. I learned empathy for Veterans that had no control of the medical condition affecting their careers - Managing multiple programs in the Medical Group taught me how to be persistent and organized for briefing the Wing Commander and all the commanders on base. I had to know my cases because they wanted to know what the status was each month and if there was anything that I could do to ensure the even at NGB level the cases were not just sitting on someone’s desk in Washington D.C or San Antonio, Texas. - Practicing my Air Force Core Values of Integrity First, Service before Self and excellence in all I do earned me a Top-Secret Clearance at the age of 42. That taught me that I can always learn from others in good or bad situations, what to do and what not to do from various leaders and team members. I would take every situation and evaluate myself and apply any everything to my life and how to make it better for me and my family - My three college degrees in Health Services Management, Bachelor’s in Business Management and Master’s in Human Resource Development and training that I earned while working full-time and serving in the military part-time, being a wife, mother of three children, experiencing loss of my 5-yearold child prepared me for greater things God has for me. WWS Magazine: Can you recall some of your most rewarding moments thus far.

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First Women Who Served Magazine feature : I planted a seed in Christie Speights [her Magazine], the CEO of WomenWhoServed Magazine by donating to her cause, and later we were talking she wanted to feature me on the cover of one of her magazines. I felt blessed when she told me that she appreciated my support when she first started out and felt like I had been there from the beginning of her journey. She stated, "the world is not ready for you". That blessed me to keep going. Mountain Top Experience in Anchorage, Alaska: I was fortunate enough to be blessed to go to Anchorage, Alaska with my unit for two weeks in 2013. I was broke, no job, had three degrees, my marriage was falling apart, my house was almost in foreclosure and I had been trying to hold on my faith in God to hear my prayers and he spoke to me on a mountain climbing experience in Alaska and my life changed forever. My journal and Book were birthed from that experience and I am now a published author and God’s promises are real if you don’t give up through hard times. 2nd Annual Banquet : Only after two years of starting my Non-Profit : With no funding and all faith, I hosted my second annual banquet to honor Cancer Caregivers in Little Rock, AR and held my first book signing on 14 June 18. It blessed me when Swift Travel Deals owner, Ileea Swift, who won Arkansas Business of the year for her International Travel company, Forbes featured CEO who is going to be featured in O Magazine believed in my vision enough to bless my organization the morning of the event with a 7 day trip to Phuket, Thailand Resort for part of my vision of giving away vacations at my annual banquets. WWS Magazine: Where do you see you Non-profit in the next five years? YW: I see two beautiful facilities with offices inside, an adult day and night care for respite care, case managers working the cases for cancer caregivers providing quality care, o Fully funded Corporate Sponsors, grants to manage the business, full staff o Annual Banquets at Retreats around the world to honor Cancer Caregivers for their hard work and love o Partnership with a local historically black college “Shorter College” that will have a comprehensive program for women enrolled in College. Through the program, women will be challenged in developing a positive self-image which aligns with Shorter College 4 C’s: Competency, Character, Culture and Citizenship.


Yolanda Winston-continued

I hope to promote positive SELF Image, where participant will engage in critical thinking reflective activities by volunteering with the Non-profit to receive college credit that will guide their understanding about societal and global issues that has an impact on their academic achievements and personal growth and opportunities to work in entrepreneurship to gain knowledge and experience. WWS Magazine: Tell Us about your new Book? YW: Title is called Word of God in Motion o It was published in 2017 o It consisted of a book and an application journal o I reflect on my relationship with God through three points after losing my 5 year old son tragically in a car accident in 2011. It describes the loss of my 5 year old baby in a tragic car accident, my struggle to save my family, my faith in God, to overcome life’s trial’s and tribulations and some one-on-one encounters with God that increased my faith in my relationship with him.

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WWS Magazine Are you a first time Author? YW: yes. WWS Magazine: How was the book writing process? YW: I struggled everytime I began to write, I was not good at editing it, so once I got everything out, I hired and editor to help me edit the book and went to a book writing workshop called Read, Write and Share where I shared my experiences, met my publisher, she planted a seed helped me with the book and journal with time I was published. Another blessing from that workshop, I met publishers and part of my book has been featured in Writing our lives volume two Author Janice Kearney who was the presidential diarist to president Bill Clinton WWS Magazine: Share a few Words of Wisdom for fellow Women Veterans. YW: Keep your relationship with God first Take actionone to do list at a time towards your goals Surround yourself with positive people who can give you wisdom and that are more successful than you Be faithful in every area of your life.


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Connect With Yolanda Winston Today! E: info@CancerCarePacks.org W: www.cancercarepacks.org P: 479-310-5651 www.WomenVeteransMagazine.org


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Army Veteran Kiowana Phillips My name is Master Sergeant Kiowana E. Phillips A.K. A. Wonder Woman. I was born and raised in Sumter, SC. I am child of God, a wife (dual military), a mother of two handsome boys, and a student in school for my doctorate. When I am not doing any of those things, I am running, training Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, volunteering, or helping others with their health and fitness goals. I consider my relationship with God to be the foundation of my life. If that relationship is not strong, my other titles mean nothing. I also feel like if I do not take care of myself, how can I be the best that I can for my family. Speaking of my family, I am married to Michael Phillips and he is amazing. As a matter of fact, he is the Superman to my Wonder Woman. He has not only been my ride or die but he has mentored and groomed me as a Soldier. I admire his leadership as a Soldier, his passion as a father, and his love and attention as a husband. My children are my world. My oldest Khaleb is my miracle child. He was born with Moebius Syndrome which is a paralysis of the face. He cannot smile or make facial expressions. He is definitely without a doubt the strongest and most RESILIENT person that I know. Khaleb has a speech delay and was born with clubbed feet. He's had surgery to break and correct his feet twice. Khaleb also choked in daycare at the age of three and was hospitalized for 4 months. Because of this incident, he was trached for 3 years. Khaleb is now 13 years old and enjoys basketball, reading, video games, and playing with his little brother. I published a book about his life called "The Boy Who Smiles With His Heart" to share his story and help other parents of children with Moebius Syndrome. MJ is our youngest and what a character he is. He's very outgoing, sweet, and helpful. He is definitely curious about his older brother and wants to do everything he does. I love helping others with their health and fitness goals. Everyone cannot afford a personal trainer, $100 shakes, and other things the world advertises that you "need" to look good these days. Women just need a regular every day person to show them what exercise and good eating looks like without all the glitz and glam. I'm just your girl next door trying to help people reach their full potential. And my reward for that is seeing their transformations and hearing their success stories. Balancing my life can be challenging at times but I do make it a priority to take care of myself mentally, physically, and spiritually. My mind is in constant sprint mode so sometimes I need to stop and just walk. My rest days are not only rest days, they're restoration days. This is my life with the uniform and the cape.

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Navy Veteran Georgett Kerr

I was born on January 28th, 1974, in Montego Bay Jamaica. I migrated to the US in 1990 along with my son, who was 3 months old at the time. I settled in New Jersey, where I went to high school and college. After I graduated college, I worked as a social worker and a kindergarten teacher. It was during this time in my life where I was searching for something challenging to do with my life, so within the space of 3 months I decided I was going to join to the Navy for that challenge and also to provide a better life for my son. I enlisted in the Navy November of 2002. I had no clue what to expect and I was apprehension as to whether or not I'd made the right decision leaving my son and enlisted at my age, but it was the best decision I made. My first duty station was in Bremerton WA, after that tour I went to a squadron located in Virginia Beach VA, then on to Norfolk VA, Great Lakes IL, and then back in Norfolk VA, and then to Yorktown VA which is where I'm currently stationed. Throughout my 15+ years in the Navy I've had ups and downs, but I wouldnt change a thing. On August 14, 2017 my whole life changed. I was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. Its been a difficult year but I'm grateful to have come out a stronger and better person. I've always been a strong person, I've always been a fighter so this adversity was nothing different. With the support of my Navy family and my civilian family, I've been able to fight this battle knowing I'm not alone. I take nothing for granted, and I wake up everyday with a grateful heart.

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Air Force Veteran Lisa Wilken

Lisa is a wife, mother and volunteer veteran's advocate. She served in the United States Air Force Veteran, '92-'96 Lisa has been working since being medically discharged after a sexual assault for changes in the way Military Sexual Trauma is handled in the military. She first worked through Rep. Steve Buyer, IN, with DACOWITS on a report of the treatment of MST survivors while active duty. Lisa had the opportunity to testify before the House Veterans Affairs Committee, Subcommittee on Health through Congresswoman Jackie Walorski. The message she brought was that by the time the VA gets MST veterans they are so damaged by trying to survive after asking for justice that the likelihood of them trusting the VA to help them is very low. Lisa has successfully advocated for veterans in Indiana, one piece created the position of State Women Veteran Coordinator at the Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs. Lisa has shared her story in a book by 10 women veterans; "Finding the Words, Stories and Poems of Women Veterans" Lisa was awarded a Torchbearer award from the State of Indiana Women's Commission in 2017 for being a trailblazer for women and Hoosier Veterans. Lisa works to inspire other veterans to know they don't have to suffer in silence and by speaking out and using their veteran voice they help themselves by helping others. Her message today is: One Voice CAN make a difference!


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Thanks!!! TO ALL THOSE WHO HAVE RECENTLY SUBSCRIBED!!! YOUR SUPPORT OF THE MAGAZINE AND YOUR FELLOWÂ WOMEN VETERANS IS GREATLY APPRECIATED!


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