M. Tabar worked as a Peace Corps volunteer in Gabon and then on USAID and State Department-funded assistance projects in Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Jordan, the Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Cameroon, Sri Lanka, Togo, and Haiti. She is an alumnus of the Universities of Oregon and Georgetown, where she studied anthropology, communications, and foreign languages, with a focus on the Middle East and Francophone Africa. She lives in West Africa with her family, where she is working on an aid program and revising a memoir on the forever wars.
Taneika Duhaney is a naval officer and freelance writer. She resides in northern Virginia and writes about leadership, health, and sports. Her work has appeared in Sports Illustrated, Bicycling Magazine, and Bikepacking.com, among others. To learn more, visit msadventurer1.com or find her on Instagram @msadventurer1.
Sarah Flores is a NASA engineer, street artist, and mother. She delights in supporting airborne science missions and raising kids with her husband—an Iraq War veteran. When she’s not covering the ground with portraits at chalk festivals, you can find her delving into writing and poetry that explore social issues, being a caregiver, and her family’s healing journeys after war. You can find her artwork on Instagram @chalkfestchica.
Lara Salahi is an award-winning health journalist, author, and associate professor of journalism at Endicott College in Massachusetts. Through the lens of the 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic, her book, Outbreak Culture, critically examines the toxic culture that emerges during outbreaks that can complicate the response to public health crises. Salahi was selected as a 2021-2022 Rosalynn Carter Mental Health Journalism fellow to report on suicide and the science of resilience in the National Guard. She is the spouse of a soldier who serves in the Army National Guard.
Valerie Suttee is a librarian and writer. As a Marine Corps spouse of 35 years, she has experience as both an enlisted and officer wife and is passionate about sharing stories that highlight the daily lives of military spouses and families. She has a master’s degree in library science and is a 2022 War Horse Writing Fellow. She lives within walking distance of her three adult kids in Durham, North Carolina, with her husband, two small dogs, and one large cat.
Ryan Pavel serves as CEO of Warrior-Scholar Project, channeling a deeply held conviction that enlisted veterans have unlimited potential to leverage military service into enormous impact in higher education and beyond. At the age of 17, Ryan enlisted in the Marine Corps, culminating in two deployments to Iraq. Ryan then earned his bachelor’s degree from University of Michigan and a Juris Doctor from University of Virginia School of Law. Ryan also serves as vice president of partnerships of the Veterans Leadership Council, a working group lead of the Bush Institute’s Veteran Higher Education Task Force, and a council member for Teach for America Military Veteran Council.
Cameron McMillan served as a field artillery officer in the Army National Guard and is an Iraq combat veteran. He is a graduate student at Northeastern University studying international relations. He lives in Boston with his fiancé and their black lab, where he enjoys watching the Bruins and Red Sox and getting up to Maine as much as possible to be by the ocean.
David Chetlain spent more than nine years in the Navy as a sonar technician. He qualified in submarines on the USS Georgia SSBN 729 and was subsequently a plankowner on the USS Nevada SSBN 733. He also served as the ship’s rescue swimmer and photographer. His last patrol was during Desert Storm in 1991. After completing submarine duty, David spent two years as a recruiter at NRD Portland where he finished college and took an early discharge. He has spent his entire civilian career in the software industry.
Jessica Morse is a writer, teacher, mom, and military spouse. As an Air Force spouse of 15 years, she has supported seven moves, eight combat deployments, and countless temporary duty assignments. She is passionate about telling stories that foster social connection through shared experiences. When not writing, teaching, or moving at a moment’s notice, she can be found outside enjoying the Florida sunshine and sandy beaches with her husband, three young children, and dog.
