Annie Kleiman (CST & Tillman Scholar)

She initially wanted to be an astronaut, jumping headfirst into the Civil Air Patrol program at a young age. But Annie Kleiman would end up taking a completely different path - one very unconventional within the ranks of the Air Force. She would ultimately try out for and be selected to deploy as part of a Cultural Support Team (CST) in 2012 in Afghanistan with the 75th Ranger Regiment, as an Air Force Officer. The CSTs would place her and other women like her on direct combat missions, performing a vital function of Special Operations - interfacing with the local populace to enable and help form enduring relationships with the locals, specifically with village women, in support of counterinsurgency operations. Following her time with the CSTs, Annie would go on to become a Pat Tillman Scholar with the goal of contributing to future CST work on a larger scale as a civilian. Hear about her groundbreaking journey on this latest edition of HAZARD GROUND!

Do your Amazon shopping with us, and give back to veterans organizations at the same time! Go to www.hazardground.com, click on the Amazon banner on the home page, and do your Amazon shopping from there. THE BEST PART IS we'll be donating proceeds from this partnership to the vet organizations featured on this podcast. So help us out, help out these great organizations, and head over to hazardground.com and click on the Amazon banner today, and shop away!

Support the podcast by supporting our sponsors at www.hazardground.com/sponsors!

Help grow the show! Spread the word, tell a friend!! Subscribe, rate, and review on iTunes!