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Full transcript below.

Hi this is your host, Pete Blum. Welcome to American Heroes Network! Our core mission is Serving the Brave Men and Women who have Sacrificed to Ensure our Freedom. You will hear true stories from those that have served, learn about Veteran organizations and resources, and gain hope for your future knowing American Heroes Network, your community, and other Veterans are here and at the ready to serve and help you and your family. We will talk about the hard topics like PTSD/TBI. You will also hear military history, inspirational stories, learn about networking with the community, and more. So come join us and be part of our family.

Today’s guest is a military spouse and the Web Designer & Administrator for American Heroes Network. I would like to welcome Mary Crozier.

You can follow Mary here

Website: https://americanheroesnetwork.com/

LinikedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marycrozier/

Mary, how are you doing today?

Topics

Mary, I would like to say thank you for being part of the team. I know you have dedicated time and effort on the new website for American Heroes Network. That is an important step in making American Heroes Network a great success. I would like everyone to get to know you so…

Briefly, tell us about where you grew up.

I’m a proud Navy Brat who got to grow up in some great coastal places like Pensacola, Jacksonville, and Hawaii.

Did you have any military family members or relatives that influenced you?

Most of the men in both my Father’s and Mother’s family served our country during WWII, Vietnam, and Korea. My Dad went through OCS in Pensacola when I was about 4 and about 17 years later I met my husband in Pensacola when he was in flight school.

Wow! That is a lot of history. Did you hear many stories growing up? We should talk about that history sometime! It may be something we could include in a future episode.

Did you actively support those in the military in your earlier years?

Supporting fellow military families is something I’ve been a part of my entire life, as far back as I can remember. I would say I was more supported by senior spouses in those early years of Navy wife life and first deployments (especially with kids) but now that my kids are much older it’s my greatest pleasure to be of service to the next generation.

As a military spouse what do you do in relation to the military and where do you do it?

My family is currently stationed in San Diego and My role at this point in my husband’s career is usually as the senior spouse for Family Readiness Groups. I focus on advising at this point and having the ear of the Skipper helps ;D When I can use my powers for the good of our command families…I’m a happy navy wife. We see pretty eye to eye on taking care of our families first.

You have also always taken care of the kids and you even have your own career right?

I see you’re a Salesforce Administrator. I love how Salesforce has a program called Vetforce to give Veterans free training. I signed up to get that training, now I need to complete it. Can you tell me more about the program and your involvement?

What did the service for our Nation, or the connection to someone that did serve, change or influence your life?

It’s hard to say it’s changed me in any way since I grew up appreciating the depth of service that is given by each sailor or soldier and their families. I think I’m most thrown when I encounter people who have never experienced that kind of service in their life. I once read in the paper someone’s opinion that military members only signed up because they lack the drive to do something else and that they’d rather be told what to do instead. It broke my heart that there are people out there that actually believe this and then treat military members poorly. I’m not denying that it’s a good option when you don’t have another plan…..but don’t take for granted that they could’ve done anything other than sign up to lay their life on the line for their country. We are all very lucky that we have heroes out there willing to make that choice.

It is hard to believe that some people think the military is taking the easy way out. I think it’s the opposite! Volunteering to server. The demand on what is required to join and to serve, the stress on the military member and their family, the deployments… none of it is easy.

Mary why did you join the AHN team as a board member

I read Jim’s request for help and just knew it was a cause I could rally behind. I happened to be in the middle of moving from Japan to San Diego and though I was still living in a hotel, I offered to help because it also coincided with a time when I was in between clients and commands and could devote some volunteer hours towards helping. I also adored my Uncle Johnny who fought in the Vietnam war and hearing Jim’s story made me wish that Uncle Johnny was still with us today so that he could share his story or at the very least be comforted by a fellow soldier’s story.

I think Uncle Jonny would be proud of what you do for family readiness and how you are part of the American Heroes Network team.

Why is AHN important to you Mary?

As I hinted at above, I think it’s important these stories are preserved. I also think it’s important for Veterans to have platforms that focus on them, sharing various opportunities and outlets that can help them with their needs especially as they get older.

I agree people tend to forget much of history and what those people that came before us have done for us. American Heroes Network dos want to preserve those stories so that people never forget others have given their lives so that we could have the freedom and the great lives we have today. We are blessed.

What will you contribute to AHN?

I’m excited to have been a part of the transition from radio and stagnant website to the new fresh site and now podcasts! In the future, I’m happy to continue to be a supporter, advisor, and cheerleader for the AHN team and all of the Veterans AHN will serve.

Mary, what is the best way to contact you if people want to reach out?

Thank you!

Summary

You can find out more about Mary by visiting americanheroesnetwork.com and clicking “About Us” and then “Advisory Board” on the menu bar.

In this episode, we learned about the Salesforce Vetforce program for Veterans and spouses. A great opportunity for those interested in the tech industry to become a certified Salesforce admin for free.

I hope you have enjoyed this episode! Be sure to keep coming back for more great episodes. If you want to talk to us about something you learned today, if you have questions, or you would like to be a guest on our podcast go to americanheroesnetwork.com and click on contact us.

Thank you for listening!