Butter Bars & Coffee

Erin Paull Schwille is a Vice President at Edelman and is married to Major Michael Schwille (Episode 001). In this episode she recounts her journey as a military spouse, which began in 2009 when she moved to Fort Wainwright, Alaska after finishing her master’s degree at New York University. She describes what it was like establishing her new life in Alaska while her husband was deployed to Iraq. She then explains how she and Mike arrived at the decision to separate from the Army during the Great Recession and what it was like rejoining civilian life.

This episode's guest, Michael Schwille, is currently an Officer in the United States Army Reserve and works at the RAND Corporation. Lucas, Mateo, and Mike first met in late 2006 while stationed at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, as 2nd Lieutenants (Butter Bars), and have been close friends ever since. In this episode they discuss the reasons why they initially joined the Army and discuss their time served as officers during a time of war. They also recount their experiences while deployed in Iraq (both personal and professional) and what it was like for Lucas and Mike to transition out of the military.