Female veterans have always been part of the story. The question is whether we've actually been listening.EPISODE PREMISEWhat happens when you stop telling veterans' stories for them and create enough trust for them to tell those stories themselves?Author Susan L. Combs returns to The Scoop to discuss Wonder Woman: The Untold Stories of Female Veterans—built from hours of conversations with 12 women whose experiences span military leadership, deployments, motherhood, discrimination, sexual assault, resilience, and life after service. Susan recorded their conversations, returned their chapters to them, and gave each woman final authority over what she was ready to share.In this episode, you'll discover:• Recognize the veterans you may be overlooking — and why Susan intentionally designed the book cover without showing the women's faces to challenge the traditional image of what a veteran looks like.• Understand why responsible storytelling requires consent, not just accuracy — including why some women removed deeply personal experiences from their chapters and others stepped away from the project entirely.• See the hidden cost military service can have on families through Callie's story of leaving three children under five for deployment and Jill's experience later sending her own sons into military service.• Hear the common thread connecting 12 very different military journeys: a desire to serve something bigger than themselves—and the people beside them who made service meaningful.About Susan L. Combs:Susan L. Combs is an author, entrepreneur, speaker, and founder of Pancakes for Roger, a nonprofit supporting veterans and military families. The daughter of a retired major general, Susan grew up surrounded by military service and carried that perspective into Wonder Woman: The Untold Stories of Female Veterans, giving 12 women the space to tell their military stories in their own voices.🎙️ If this episode helped you, please follow the show and leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts — open the app, search VET S.O.S. Presents: The Scoop, scroll down, and tap “Write a Review.” It takes 30 seconds and puts this show in front of a veteran who needs it right now.⏱️ EPISODE CHAPTERS00:00 — Introduction: Are We Actually Listening? 05:07 — What's Changed Since Susan's First Visit 07:33 — The Story Behind the Wonder Woman Cover 10:23 — The Moment the Book Idea Took Shape 13:22 — Finding the Women Behind the Stories 15:31 — Giving Veterans Ownership of Their Stories 17:31 — Motherhood, Deployment & the Cost to Families 22:15 — The Responsibility of Telling Someone Else's Story 24:48 — Protecting What Someone Isn't Ready to Share 26:18 — Discrimination, Identity & Angie's Story 32:17 — Why Female Veterans Can Become Invisible 35:32 — Four Decades of Service: Rita's Story 38:2

Why Female Veterans' Stories Are Still Going Unheard

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