Lioness The Origin Story Ep. 9

Our guest today is retired USMC Sgt. Major Raquel Painter whose extraordinary nearly 27 year career landed her at some of the most pivotal moments in Marine Corps history. She has the rare distinction of serving as both an FET (Brigade Headquarters Female Engagement Team Leader) during her 2009 deployment to Afghanistan and as a Lioness during her 2007 deployment to Iraq. But working with local communities in difficult situations was nothing new to Raquel. As a young Marine, she assisted in the humanitarian efforts following the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. Nine years later, she was among the Marines sent to Sri Lanka to support recovery efforts after the devastating 2004 tsunami. 

When she retired in 2016 – as one of only 23 female Marines to earn the rank of Sgt. Major – she pursued her interest in community work with Hope For The Warriors and now serves as President of United Way of Onslow County, North Carolina. 

In 2021, Raquel, who is half Sioux and half Winnebago, inaugurated an annual pow wow to honor indigenous Americans who have served. The impact of her work is even more amazing when you realize that since WWII a greater percentage of Native Americans have served in the Armed Forces than any other ethnic group and that North Carolina has the highest population of Native Americans east of the Mississippi.

#veteran #veterans #veteransbreakfastclub #virtualevents #virtual #zoomevents #liveevents #webinar #history #interview #militaryhistory #military #army #navy #marinecorps #marines #airforce #coastguard #vbc #nonprofit #501c3 #happyhour #911 #september11 #sept11 #generation911 #lioness #specialopslioness #paramount+ #iraq #OEF #OIF #WaronTerror #afghanistan #war #cia #Female #FET #Cultural #CST #Exclusion #Policy