Sylvia found the military by working as a civil servant for the California National Guard. She said it felt like a family and she wanted to be a part of the community as a service member and decided to join. She was mentored by Lt Col Ralph Page who had nine children and took her under his wing and gave her advice and mentorship as if she was one of his children. He was the one who pushed her to apply for Officer Candidate School. Her career culminated with her reaching the rank of Brigadier General that opened doors up for her and gave her the ability to represent women and the Latina community in a place that before did not have a voice or representation.

She and her husband are both veterans and are both members of MOAA. And the primary thing they find important and why they are members is through the information provided by MOAA through email updates and the magazine. MOAA helps them stay current on what is going on in the military and on Capitol Hill and allows them to use their voice to contact various government representatives because they know what is happening. She also talked about the lobbying power of MOAA. We talked more about MOAA’s lobbying power in the first bonus episode with Aniela Szymanski, you can check out that episode here.

But another critical important benefit is the transition resources, grants, and scholarships available to members. You can get a scholarship, interest-free loans, grants, and more. But there are also resources for resume writing to help you convert your military resume into something that will help you land a new job outside of the military. They also are connected with LinkedIn that can help connect you and build your network. So many great benefits when you leave military service and beyond. 

Health care is a program that has been on the forefront of Gen Crokett’s career and something she has been paying attention to after service. Currently, the military is looking into re-organizing the billets for medical care, the Spouse Angle interviewed MOAA representative Karen Ruedisueli to talk specifically about this issue, and the work MOAA was doing. And the voice MOAA provided has forced Congress to take another look at the proposed plan. 

Brigadier General Sylvia R. Crockett was assigned as the Land Component Commander of the California Army National Guard in October 2014. In this capacity, she is responsible for providing command and control over all non-divisional units in California. The units consist of five brigade-level commands and include the 1106th Theater Aviation Sustainment Maintenance Group, 49th Military Police Brigade, 115th Regional Support Group, 223rd Regional Training Institute, and the California Army National Guard Medical Command.

General Crockett enlisted in the California Air National Guard as a supply technician in 1982. After serving two years with the 129th Rescue Wing, she transferred to the California Army National Guard to attend the California Military Academy. She was commissioned in 1985 as an Adjutant Corps Officer and subsequently became branch qualified as a Military Intelligence Officer. General Crockett has served in command positions from the Company level through up to the Brigade.

Join MOAA Today

Related Episode:

Episode 33: Medical Care Could Soon Look Different for Many Military Families

Bonus Episode: Advocacy with MOAA

Bonus Episode: MOAA is more that Advocacy

Want to read the whole transcript? of-the-military.simplecast.com/episodes/staying-informed-with-moaa/transcript">Click here.

Resources:

Women of the Military Mentorship Program

Girl's Guide to Military Service available where books are sold. 

Signed copies of A Girl's Guide to Military Service

Girl's Guide to the Military Series