The Seasoned Vet

This week we’re joined by Coast Guard Veteran, Yeoman First Class Tinunola Adelakin. YN1 Adelakin enlisted in the USCG in 1999 after learning about the military’s GI Bill and how it could help her finish college. There are not many E-3s (non-rates) who would volunteer for sea duty because at that rank it’s almost a sure way to get confined to being a mess cook. Tinunola didn’t mind. She was just g...

This week we’re joined by Coast Guard Veteran, Dr. Cynthia M. Morris. Dr. Morris enlisted in the USCG in 1977 after leaving college as a Pre-Med major. She served 20 years and received several awards along the way, including one that granted her the opportunity to meet Civil Rights Activist- Rosa Parks. Service in the U.S. Coast Guard proved to be one uphill battle after another. But Dr. Morris is...

This week we’re joined by Staff Sergeant Natatera Green. Staff Sergeant Green enlisted in the United States Air Force in 2001 after completing a degree in Pre-Med and English. She decided that the Air Force was the best route to go, after catching recruiters from two other branches (Army and Marine Corps) in blatant lies. Shortly after joining, she experienced a very memorable Basic Training gradu...

This week we’re joined by retired Coast Guard Lieutenant Commander Nicole Burgess. LCDR Burgess enlisted in the Coast Guard in 1993 after being turned away from the Navy because get this - they had already met their quota for the year for women recruits. As an enlistee, she was a storekeeper who wrote number 2 on the service-wide exam and ranked up twice in one year. With a track record like that,...

This week we’re joined by retired Army First Sergeant Shakara Debose 1SG Debose never considered a life in the military until she took her cousin to take the ASVAB and left as the only one of them to get recruited. She went on to become a 42A, working in Human Resources for 23 years until she wrapped up her career in the Army as a MEPS First Sergeant. 1SG Debose is a proud member of Zeta Phi Beta...

This week we’re joined by retired Army Captain Crystal Hamiln-Tramack Captain Tramack enlisted in the Army in 2001 as a former track star and graduate of St. Augustine University. After 15 years of working in different variations of the Army’s medical field, she retired in 2016... by surprise. Since her retirement, she’s managed to stay busy – Very busy! When she’s not on volunteer orders for the...

This week we’re joined by retired Coast Guard Chief Tonia Tippins. Chief Tippins joined the Coast Guard in 1988 as a young single mother of three. She served 26 years as Food Service Specialist. Her time enlisted did have it’s highlights, but it also proved to be one uphill battle after the next. So many uphill battles, in fact, that one of them is still ongoing in the form of a lawsuit. For every...

This week we’re joined by a Retired Air Force Captain. Captain Ashunta Murphy enlisted in the U.S. Air Force right out of high school and never looked back. Her career in the Air Force began as a cook/fitness center attendee and ended as a Sexual Assault Prevention Response Coordinator. She went from enlisted to officer and from active duty to the guard. No shade to the active duty units, but she...

This week we're joined by another brilliant black lady in S.T.E.M. In 1995 this Information Systems Technician joined the Coast Guard after having lost interest in high school to get her GED. Later that year, she managed to score 100% on her military requirements test for E-3 and E-4. She, of course, quickly made rank and became a Company Commander a few years later in 1999. Since then she's gone...

Sgt. Ronnda Cooper joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1998 as the first woman in her family to enlist in the armed services. She did this with the discouragement of her grandmother: a college graduate and school teacher who wanted more for Ronnda than what she thought the military could offer. As you can imagine, anyone who joined the Marine Corps in 1998 was likely still in the service following the...

This week we sit down with a woman who made a career out of shattering the Coast Guard’s glass ceilings. She was the first woman E-7 to be billeted on a 270 cutter. She was the first black woman to make E-7, E-8, and E-9 in her rate. She also ranked #1 on the Coast Guard's Service Wide Exam (twice). For Master Chief Lisa Spotwood, there was no barrier she couldn’t break in her 20-year career. By t...

This week we’re joined by a Groundbreaking Mechanical engineer who refused to be confined to an engine room. Olivia Grant Cream’s journey in the Coast Guard began with a flyer in the mail and ended with her being one of the first Black Ladies to serve as an Engineering Officer. Olivia may have had the privilege of serving as an officer, but of course, even that didn’t shield her from experiencing...

This week we’re joined by Retired Army Sergeant First Class Cassandra TaylorSeargent First class Taylor spent 28 years working as a Victim’s Advocate, Urinalysis Coordinator, Food Specialist, and Human Resources Sergeant. Her work of service may have started in the Army, but it has yet to stop or even slow down. Today, Cassandra runs a non-profit organization dedicated to helping lady veterans fro...

This week we’re joined by a trailblazing member of Coast Guard Black History! As the first Black woman to serve as the Coast Guard’s 1st District Command Master Chief, Rashaun Morris is quite literally the Gold Standard for Coast Guard Sisters. Her 34-year career is truly one for the books. In a little over 3 decades Master Chief Morris became a Yeoman and racked up over 50 medals and ribbons for...

This week we’re joined by Retired Navy Senior Chief, Sannita Price. Senior Chief Price comes from a family of military service members. Her father was in the Army. Her Aunt is a retired Navy Senior Chief who was featured in Episode 10 (Just Fine). And her daughter is currently an E-5 in the Navy. After 22 years of service, Sannita can confirm at least one thing: The treatment did NOT get better wi...

This week we’re joined by Retired Coast Guard Health Services Technician Chief LaTonya Slade. As a 20-year corpsman, LaTonya always found joy in being able to help people who needed assistance. Chief Slade’s work ethic was so noticeable that she was often put in positions of leadership, even when higher-ranking people were available to fill the positions. LaTonya is a North Carolina native who has...

This week we are joined by an Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran. Senior Chief Jacqueline R. Mapp is the first war veteran to grace this podcast cast with her presence. As a 26-year Navy veteran, ITCS Mapp is a trailblazing, championship-winning, force to be reckoned with. While serving as an Information Systems Technician in the Navy, Senior Chief Mapp also took on the extra responsibility of becomi...

This week we’re joined by an Army Seargent who is NOT to be played with. Unlike most who join the military, today’s guest was married with 2 children before she decided to enlist in the Army at 23 years old. Because she joined the Army with more life experience than most recruits, it was hard for anyone to just push her around (drill sergeants included). Because of this, the boot camp motto of “br...

This week, we sit down with Jay, or “Mama Jay” as her “children” (younger coworkers/subordinates) call her. 13 years ago Jay enlisted in the Navy as a means to explore the world outside of her small town in Mississippi. Not only has she gotten to explore the world, but she’s also learned some valuable lessons along the way, that she openly shares with her “children”. Today, she is a highly motivat...

In this episode, we talk to a former Coast Guard Boatswain’s Mate. Daphnee hadn’t been out of high school a full 6 months before she started learning the harsh realities of racism at her first unit as the only black woman there. Her leadership attempted to set her up for failure by making it appear that she was AWOL. After that, she was stationed at various other Coast Guard units around Georgia f...

In this week’s episode, we’re joined by a former Navy Corpsman who was determined to leave the service with more than what she came with! It’s hard to get anything by Terry because she pays attention to everything and isn’t shy about speaking up about it. She’s not the strong-silent type. She’s the strong-vocal type. And that’s the type that creates the path for change! Sitting down with Terry was...

This week we’re joined by a Coast Guard Unicorn. LTJG Cash has had a career full of experiences one could only hope for. From her first Commanding Officer being a Black lady to all of her mentors finding her (instead of the opposite), she has been protected and provided for at almost every turn of her Coast Guard life. LTJG Cash’s career is what happens when leaders WANT you to succeed.

In this episode, we talk to a former Army Brat/Track Star turned IT whiz kid/activist. Speaking up for herself and fighting for her right to exist are not things she knew before joining the Coast Guard. They are things she learned when her chain of command could not stop commenting on her appearance.

In this episode, we chat it up with a proud Coast Guard Yeoman and a good friend of the show. Dawn is a near-retirement veteran with a few more good deeds up her sleeve. In her career, she's managed to grab several Commendations Medals, too many Achievement medals, and a treasure box full of coins. But once you learn about her, you'll see that those accolades don't represent a fraction of what she...

This week we sit down with a shooting star Navy Nepo baby. She maybe young in rank, but she won't be for long