If you want to understand what it's like to be a woman in the military and some of the challenges of being a woman veteran, this episode will help. It was an eye opener for me. This episode is with Jill Troutner. Jill grew up on White Earth Indian Reservation in Northern Minnesota and received a nomination to attend West Point to be an Army officer. Jill works with the Women Veterans Initiative as an advocate and admin. In this episode you will learn about: - How her small town prepared Jill for West Point - The challenges of being a young officer in the military - What a "Slam Book" is and how Jill found out that every woman on her installation was being secretly monitored, bet on, and targeted - Why chaplains were her most important resource - How to make a pop can land mine - Why the Women Veterans Initiative exists - Kinds of discrimination and disrespect facing many women veterans Links to topics discussed: - Women Veterans Initiative www.womenveteransinitiative.com - Women veteran license plate http://womenspress.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=233&ArticleID=4702 Podcast theme music provided by Anthony Davis of Atmosphere, care of Rhymesayers Entertainment Interludes provided by Rumble Music Thank you for helping us to fulfill our promise to those we send to fight wars on our behalf. This community gets stronger and more resilient with every veteran that we reach. Each one find one. We do that and we will succeed. Paul Riedner Executive Director | Veteran Resilience Project ResilienceMN Host/Producer podcast@resilienceMN.org www.resilienceMN.org