Raven Conversations

In this episode of Raven Conversations, Lt Col Rex Ayers, Washington Air National Guard talks about Washington Air National Guard's Innovation Team. Want to be a part of or learn more about Washington Air National Guard Innovation Team? Contact Lt Col Rex Ayers at rex.ayers.1@us.af.mil or MSgt Christopher Pavel at christopher.pavel.2@us.af.mil Original music by Meta Esssence

In this episode of Raven Conversations, Chris Acuña, Commandant of the Washington Youth Challenge Academy talks about what the Washington Youth Challenge Academy is and how this program is setting up our youth for success. For more information on the Washington Youth Challenge Academy or to apply now for the program, visit https://mil.wa.gov/youth-academy

In this episode of Raven Conversations, WO1 Catherine Trujillo, a member of the 1st Battalion, 140th Aviation Regiment, C Co talks about her experience in becoming a pilot in the Washington National Guard. Regardless of the hurdles that were set in her path, she was able to overcome those obstacles in order to achieve her lifelong dream to fly. "Don't ever tell yourself that you can't, other peopl...

Today is May 18th and on this day in 1980 Mt. St. Helens erupted with a force so powerful that it leveled tens of thousands of acres of forest and destroyed hundreds of homes, roadways and railways. 57 people lost their lives in the blast. On duty that day was a young helicopter pilot named Mike Cairns. He and many of his Washington National Guard pilots immediately flew towards the devastation an...

In this episode of Raven Conversations, Hollie Stark, the Outreach Program Manager for the Emergency Management Division talks about being disaster ready in Washington.

CW3 Ryan Schwend and CW2 Eugene Park stop by to tell us the story of how they were able to safely land after they experienced a catastrophic emergency during a routine trip while they were on deployment in Afghanistan. It is truly an amazing story! They walk us through their decision making process, how they communicated with the crew chiefs in the back, and how a ground crew were able to dislodge...

On the show today we sit down with two members of the Washington National Guard - one Army one Air - who own their own businesses in their local community. Master Sgt. Samantha Stewart who is at the 194th Wing, runs a CrossFit gym with her husband, Joe, who is also an Air National Guardsman. Samantha and I talk about her service in the Guard supports her ability to focus on her small business, how...

This episode is a continuation of our conversation with the crew from Rainier Dustoff who recently helped rescue an injured hiker. On the previous episode we talked about the rescue mission itself but on this episode we go into the aviation career field in general - how they got started, what they love about it and where they see their careers going. Send story ideas to: jason.r.kriess.civ@army.mi...

On today's show I sit down and chat with a few members of the Dustoff team over at the Army aviation facility. In October, Chief Warrant Officer 4 Ryan Kennedy and his crew piloted their UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter out near Leavenworth, Washington to help rescue an injured hiker and transport them to safety. This is something that they train for a lot but don't necessarily get to do it as a real-w...

Washington National Guard armories are old. Built around the turn of the century and on through the 1930’s and 40’s, these large, cavernous buildings have been the assembly location for soldiers and airmen for decades. Countless people have moved through these locations on their way to World Wars I and II and on through the conflicts in the Middle East. Over the years, we have talked to many peopl...

In this episode I speak with Brian Terbush, the Earthquake and Volcano Program Coordinator at the Emergency Management Division. He stopped by to talk about the Great Washington ShakeOut. That's an annual earthquake drill that is observed every October and millions of people around the country stop what they're doing and practice what they would do when an earthquake strikes. Aside from talking ab...

In this episode I speak with Brian Terbush, the Earthquake and Volcano Program Coordinator at the Emergency Management Division. He stopped by to talk about the Great Washington ShakeOut. That's an annual earthquake drill that is observed every October and millions of people around the country stop what they're doing and practice what they would do when an earthquake strikes. Aside from talking ab...

In this episode we talk to Lt. Col. Jason Kramer with the 194th Comptroller Flight and Senior Master Sgt. Justin Scherer with the 194th Contracting Office. Together, along with Retired Chief Master Sgt. Jason Witts, summited Mt. Rainier in July. We talk about the training that goes into the multi-day climb, the equipment they used, the hazards of traversing glaciers and much, much more.

For this episode we're doing something a little different. I hand the podcast over to Command Sgt. Maj. Dana Trakel as she leads a panel discussion about Women's Equality Day with several trailblazing female leaders in our organization. Women's Equality Day celebrates the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920 which granted women the right to vote. Trakel is joined by five other women who have acco...

Last year the DoD restored its original transgender military service policy that was originally issued in 2016. The policy prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity. It also provides a path forward for those who wish to seek medical treatment for gender transition. To help talk us through the policy, Master Sergeant Susie Lopez stops by the studio. Master Sergeant Lopez is the state...

It's the end of May but we wanted to squeeze in an episode about Mental Health Awareness Month. We all deal with stress in our own ways. It's good to know that you are not alone in your struggles and members of the Guard have so many resources available to them. And we want to normalize help-seeking behavior. Four members of the behavioral health team stopped by the studio to talk about how to rea...

May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month and we invited a few guests to come in and share their experiences growing up in the United States as an Asian American and Pacific Islander. Capt. Laudy Choum, Capt. Tiffany Cadenhead and Sgt. 1st class Lance "Shimmy" Shimamoto talk about the challenges they had to overcome and the importance of observing Asian American Pacific Islander Herita...

The Army is changing the way it approaches Soldier fitness. Gone are the days of push-ups, sit-ups and the 2-mile run. Now the Army is expanding fitness beyond physical abilities and into the world of mental health, nutrition and even spirituality with it's Holistic Health and Fitness initiative. The program aims to improve the health and well-being of individual Soldiers by increasing their knowl...

In this episode we welcome back Jennika Cardenas from the Joint Services Support and we welcome for the first time Staff Sgt. Michelle Claus. We talk about the recent Master Resiliency Trainer Course that Washington recently hosted. We chat about what the course teaches and why these skills are important for one's own well-being as well as how they're important for strengthening relationships with...

In this episode Jason sits down with Marilyn Gerhardt and Tramal Williams - two of the most successful recruiters in the field today. We talk about the process of enlisting a new recruit, about what makes them successful, as well as some of the struggles they face. As always please reach out if you have a topic you would like to hear on the show. Send an email to jason.r.kriess.mil@army.mil

On this episode, Jason sits down with three Washington National Guard Airmen who volunteered for the massive effort to help Afghanistan Evacuees transition to life in America. They traveled to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey where they were a part of more than 200 Airmen working 24 hour operations helping more than 9,500 evacuees continue their journey to the U.S. They worked long,...

Joe Siemandel, the State Public Affairs Officer, and Karina Shagren, the Military Department's Communications Director, sit down and chat with Adam Wasserman, the manager for the state's Enhanced 911 system. He talks about the history of the E-911 system, how it works and what the future holds with the new Text-To-911 features that are becoming more popular across the country.

September is Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month and on this episode we talk to Jennika Cardenas. Jennika is the R3SP Coordinator for the state and she brought with her a long-time member of the Washington National Guard, Aaron McCarthy. Aaron opens up to us and shares his heart wrenching story and his battles with TBI and PTSD. 24/7 Veteran and Military Crisis Line: 1-800-273-8255 Press 1 or T...

Today's episode is a special one. It's Pride Month and we invited a few members of the LGBTQ community to come in and talk about their experiences serving openly in the military and the Washington National Guard. We talked with Chief Warrant Officer 4 Valerie Mariano, 1st Lt. Johanna Lockhart, Capt. Callie Kiaunis and Travis Linares-Hengen, who works in the Emergency Management Division. Travis's...

It's is now June and we are marching right into fire season. That fun time of year where we all come together to fight a common enemy. Department of Natural Resources are reporting more than 400 fires this calendar year already. Those can range from small backyard fires that get a little bit out of control to larger fires that require a crew of firefighters to extinguish. So the dry, hot condition...