washington national guard

In this episode of Raven Conversations, Jason Kriess, the original creator of the Raven Conversation podcast says farewell as he leaves the State Public Affairs office after more than 15 years.

In this episode of Raven Conversations, Annie DeAndrea, a Transition Assistance Specialist with the Joint Services Support, discusses filing your VA disability claim and breaks some myths about VA disability specifically for National Guard members. Connect with Annie to start your VA disability claim or to learn more: email- antionette.m.deandrea.ctr@mail.mil DSN- (253) 512-8722 Original music by Meta Essence

In this episode of Raven Conversations, Maj. Gen. Charles Jeffries discusses his experiences in the National Guard and the United States Cyber Command. He also talks about how the National Guard provided him with valuable skillsets that bridged into his civilian career at Microsoft. Original music by Meta Essence

In this episode of Raven Conversations, Leslie Mayne and Jessica Kastrup from the Permission to Start Dreaming Foundation talk about how the foundation was started, the mission of the organization and how their event, Race for a Soldier, has connected them with the Washington National Guard Community. For more information on Permission to Start Dreaming Foundation, please visit PTSDfoundation.org Original music by Meta Essence

In this episode of Raven Conversations, WO1 John Androski, MAJ Joshua Jorgensen and 1SG Nicholas Vankirk, members of the Washington National Guard Biathlon Team talk about the biathlon program and their experiences competing. For more information on the Washington National Guard Biathlon Team, reach out to WO1 John Androski at john.x.androski.mil@army.mil Original music by Meta Essence

In this episode of Raven Conversations, SGT Mike Cummings, a member of the 1-168th General Support Aviation Battalion talks about his experience working at NASCAR and how he came to serve in the Washington Army National Guard. Original music by Meta Essence

In this episode of Raven Conversations, Washington Air National Guard Public Affairs Officer, Lt Col Alyson Teeter talks about Veterans of Foreign Wars. For more information on the Ballard Eagleson Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3063: https://vfwseattle.org/ Learn more about the Veterans of Foreign Wars here, https://www.vfw.org/ Original music by Meta Essence

In this episode of Raven Conversations, CPT Bryan Elliott, a member of the 1st Squadron 303rd Cavalry Regiment talks about his experience serving the community in the Washington National Guard and also as the Kittitas County Auditor. Original music by Meta Essence

In this episode of Raven Conversations, SFC Sarah Braun, a Senior Recruiter with the WA Recruiting and Retention Battalion talks about her journey in education and how she utilized the benefits the Washington National Guard provided. Original music by Meta Essence

In this episode of Raven Conversations, LTC Keith Kosik, State Partnership Program Director talks about the program and the importance of the strong relationship we hold with the Kingdom of Thailand and the Country of Malaysia. See our website for more information: https://mil.wa.gov/state-partnership-program Original music by Meta Essence

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

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 and began the incredibly difficult task of finding survivors. Please listen in as he recounts those terrible days of flying in the most perilous of conditions.

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 their broken, mangled cargo.

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 Text 838255 Military OneSource: 1-800-342-9647 Family Program Hotline at the JSS (Building 3) 1-800-364-7492 Jennika Cardenas, R3SP Coordinator: 253-318-9827 All American Heroes Foundation: www.aahfdn.com

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 story is particularly compelling as he was discharged under the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy - a policy that has since been rescinded and now allows LGBTQ service members to serve without repercussions. This is probably the most open, honest and candid discussion that we've ever had on this podcast. I hope the stories and experiences you will hear in this episode with help enlighten you to the hardships that these service members endured during their careers and still continue to go through. There is much work still to be done. Some of the language you will hear can be offensive to some listeners.

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 conditions are ripe for another more active than usual fire season. I talked with Angie Lane from DNR and Sgt. 1st Class Stefhan Larkin with the Guard. We chatted about some of the conditions that make for an active fire season, what it takes to be Red Card certified and a couple funny stories from the front lines of the wildfires. If you have any ideas for future episodes please send me an email at jason.r.kriess.mil@mail.mil

In this episode I sat down with Jeff Hehe and Dakota Ross. Dakota was a student at the Washington Youth Academy and Jeff was his mentor. We talked about the mentor/mentee relationship, how Jeff was instrumental in Dakota's education and how one can volunteer as a mentor. If you would like to get more information on how to apply to be a mentor at the academy, send an email to: elizabeth.bergmann@mil.wa.gov

The month of May is recognized as Mental Health Awareness Month. Each year millions of people are diagnosed and live with some sort of mental illness, ranging from stress and anxiety to ADD or OCD. Many of our Guard service members are tasked to serve in extremely stressful situation and that can take a toll on our mental health. Luckily we have a whole slew of professional life counselors at your service to help you get the assistance you need. In this episode, I sat down with Jennika Cardenas from the Joint Services Support, Lanny Harris, a life counselor, Monique Jordan, a Military and Family Life Counselor, and Major Nichole Mogharreban, a Behavioral Health Officer for the State Surgeon. If you find this conversation helpful and you would like to reach out to any of our panel members, please find their contact information below: Maj. Nichole Mogharreban | 253-512-8632 | nichole.l.mogharreban.mil@mail.mil Lanny Harris | o: 253-512-7980 c: 253-273-1769 | lanny.l.harris.ctr@mail.mil Monique Jordan | monique.r.jordan@leidos.com Jennika Cardenas | jennika.m.cardenas.civ@mail.mil | o: 253-512-1357 c: 253-318-9827