Camo & Crayons

Do you call your son "son" or "sir" when he makes Colonel? 🎖️

Marine veteran Ruben and Marine and Army veteran Dennis "Sarge" sit down with Laurie, Sherry "Army Mom" Davis and Annika for an honest, funny and emotional conversation about service, family and coming home.

In this episode: • Ruben on watching his son become a Marine Colonel • Dennis's "Heritage Room," with sand from Iwo Jima and dirt from WWI and WWII battlefields • What Vietnam-era veterans want today's service members and their families to know • Getting through the transition to civilian life, and why it's okay to ask for help • 52 years of marriage that started with a snow cone

Connect with us 🎙️ Host, Laurie Trahan: https://linktr.ee/laurietrahan 🪖 Host, Sherry "Army Mom" https://linktr.ee/sherrydavis69.sd

🪖 Guest, Ruben:https://www.tiktok.com/@ruben57borrego?lang=en 🪖 Guest, Dennis "Sarge":https://www.tiktok.com/@sarge.dt?lang=en 📧 Podcast email: [email protected] 📧 Military Spotlight Form: https://forms.gle/oSrqDxTSjcQB86ca6

If you or a veteran you know is struggling, call the Veterans Crisis Line: dial 988, then press 1.

Produced by SWA Creative Media.

#CamoAndCrayons #Veterans #MilitaryFamily #Marines #Podcast

Grab your drink, your sweater, and your slippers, because it's girl talk time! In Episode 14 of Camo & Crayons, Laurie, Sherry, and Annika answer questions from you, our followers, about military moves. They also cover how to help military kids through them.

Annika is joining us live from Okinawa, where she just got her household goods after months of waiting. She compares her stateside PCS with her overseas move to Japan. She covers:

• What changes when you go from a domestic move to an international one
• Medical clearance and waiting in limbo while your service member goes ahead
• Household goods that travel by boat across the ocean, and why she hid AirTags in hers
• The housing crunch in Japan and families stuck in hotels
• How the government travel charge card works
• Helping kids adjust to a new place
• Hard conversations to have at home before a deployment
• Travel questions about boot camp and military leave
• How parents can support a child in the military

Have a question for a future episode? Send it to us!

Follow and connect:

• 📱 TikTok: @camoandcrayonspod
• 📘 Facebook: Camo & Crayons on Facebook
• ▶️ YouTube: Watch on YouTube
• ✉️ Send us your questions: [email protected]

Connect with the hosts:

• 🌲 Laurie: linktr.ee/laurietrahan
• 🌲 Sherry: linktr.ee/sherrydavis69.sd
• 📱 Annika on TikTok: @annika_lyon

Recorded on Riverside. Produced by SWA Creative Media.

Laurie and Sherry sit down with CPT Will Aldana, known on TikTok as Seasoned Soldier. He has served for over 23 years in the Air Force, the Army National Guard, and active-duty Army. He worked as a career counselor, went through Officer Candidate School, and is now an ROTC instructor at the University of New Mexico.

In this episode, he talks about:

• His path from airport security on 9/11 to commissioned officer
• Why he says to find the job you want before you choose a branch
• How OCS, ROTC, and JROTC work, and how they can ease the move into military life
• Staying physically fit, speaking up for yourself with recruiters, and earning certifications and education to prepare for life after the military

This one is useful for future service members, parents, and military families.

Connect with CPT Will Aldana

• TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@seasoned_soldier

Connect with Camo & Crayons

• Email: [email protected]
• TikTok:
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61593425550543
• Laurie: https://linktr.ee/laurietrahan
• Sherry: https://linktr.ee/sherrydavis69.sd#562856016?view

Recorded and produced by SWA Creative Media.

What does it take to join the Army at 32, with a wife and kids at home? In this episode of Camo & Crayons, we sit down with Sergeant Bills, also known online as the King of Pogs and Kyle the Unhinged Puppet. He is a Religious Affairs NCO (Chaplain Assistant) who recently marked 10 years in the Army.

Sergeant Bills is a husband of 14 years and a girl dad to three daughters. He tells us why he calls joining at 32 his "midlife crisis" and why it was the right move for his family. He walks us through what basic training was like as one of the older recruits, and how drill sergeants handled a soldier with more life experience. He also shares the story of the 26 jobs he held before enlisting, and how the deal he made with his wife shaped his path into the chaplain assistant role.

If you're a military family, thinking about enlisting later in life, or curious what a Religious Affairs NCO actually does, this conversation is for you.

In this episode

• Joining the Army at 32: a "midlife crisis" and a family decision
• Basic training as one of the oldest in the formation
• Teaching younger soldiers life skills, from laundry to tying a tie
• 26 jobs before the military, and finding a career that fit
• The deal with his wife, and the road to becoming a Chaplain Assistant
• Supporting soldiers and families as a Religious Affairs NCO

Guest: Sergeant Bills (King of Pogues / Kyle the Unhinged Puppet)

• King of Pogues: https://www.tiktok.com/@king_of_pogs
• Kyle the Unhinged Puppet: https://www.tiktok.com/@kyle.the.unhinged.puppet

Hosts:

Laurie - https://linktr.ee/laurietrahan

Sherry - https://linktr.ee/sherrydavis69.sd

Annika -

Connect with Camo & Crayons

• Email: [email protected]
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61593425550543
• Follow, rate, and review the show on [Apple Podcasts / Spotify / YouTube links]

Recorded and produced by SWA Creative Media.

In this episode of Camo & Crayons, Laurie, Annika, and Sherry sit down with Vet on the Mic — a 23-year retired U.S. Air Force veteran and one of TikTok's most motivational voices. From growing up idolizing his Vietnam-veteran father to a 23-year career in Aerospace Ground Equipment that took him from Tinker AFB to Korea, Germany, Okinawa, and beyond — this conversation is packed with heart, humor, and hard-won wisdom.

We talk about:

• 🎖️ What it's really like to serve 23 years and retire as Senior Master Sergeant
• ✈️ Life on the flight line as Aerospace Ground Equipment (AGE)
• 🌍 Duty stations around the world — Korea, Japan, Germany, and more
• 👨‍👩‍👧 Raising a military family across four continents
• 😂 How humor became his tool for fighting depression and anxiety after service
• 🎤 Building a following on TikTok as "Vet on the Mic"

If you're a veteran, military spouse, military kid, or just need a dose of motivation today — this episode is for you.

Important Links:

Email: [email protected]

Hosts: Laurie & Sherry

🎙️ Follow Vet on the Mic: https://linktr.ee/VetOnTheMic

Project Healing Waters

Laurie, Sherry, and Annika discuss GySgt Cruz’s experiences and time

throughout his Marine Corps career. Discussing topics from leaving home, to

being in the Marine Corps, as well as serving as a Drill Instructor.

Email Camo & Crayons

Hosts:

Laurie's Linktree

Sherry's linktree

Guest Links:

Jonas The Mad Hatter on TikTok

Irreverent Warriors

This episode is all about YOU. Every question answered today came straight from the Camo & Crayons community — pulled directly from Laurie's Saturday and Sunday TikTok Lives, where followers ask their real, unfiltered questions about military life, love, and everything in between.

To help tackle them, Laurie and Sherry brought in two special guests for a panel-style sit-down: Berek T. Krehmeier, a retired Marine Corps Staff Sergeant (20 years of service, now a Career Services Specialist & SkillBridge Coordinator), and Brian, "King of POGs", an active-duty Army Sergeant and Religious Affairs NCO marking his 10-year milestone. (Annika's sitting this one out — she just landed in Okinawa after 27 hours of travel!)

One of the top questions submitted by followers: is getting married right out of boot camp a good idea or a bad one? Berek and Brian dig into it with total honesty, covering:

• 🗣️ Why communication — not timing — makes or breaks a military marriage
• 📋 Brian's "100 Questions" checklist he gives service members before they say "I do"
• ⚓ How certain MOSs (like Marine Security Guard) restrict spouses and communication
• 🏕️ What being a "Geo Bachelor" means and how deployments test relationships
• ❤️ Berek's candid take after three marriages on what he wishes he'd known

If you submitted a question during one of Laurie's TikTok Lives, this could be the episode where you get your answer. Follow along for future Lives to get your own questions featured!

Email:

[email protected]

Hosts:

Laurie Trahan

https://linktr.ee/laurietrahan

Army Sherry

https://linktr.ee/sherrydavis69.sd

Guests:

Berek T. Krehmeier (USMC, Ret.)

[email protected]

Brian, King of POGs (US Army)

[email protected]

Military Spotlight:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf_qH1ak2vl6Fy8MccvRSKJh0hzYgWiapBPkEgB3wzXLIobig/viewform

In this episode, we sit down with Master Sergeant Vladimiro “Isaac” Vasquez, an active-duty Army leader with nearly 18 years of service and more than a decade in Army retention and career counseling.

We talk about Army careers, retention, leadership, mentorship, and helping Soldiers make informed decisions about their military careers and life after service. MSG Vasquez also shares lessons from his deployment to Afghanistan, years of leadership, and his upcoming transition toward retirement.

[email protected]

https://linktr.ee/laurietrahan

https://linktr.ee/sherrydavis69.sd

https://www.tiktok.com/@overtimedadpartyof6

Military Spotlight

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf_qH1ak2vl6Fy8MccvRSKJh0hzYgWiapBPkEgB3wzXLIobig/viewform

In this episode of Camo & Crayons, we delve into the vital topic of mental health for active duty members and veterans, guided by Lori Cross, a mental health expert and the mother of a recruit at Paris Island. Lori shares her extensive experience working with military personnel and offers invaluable insights into the mental health landscape.

[email protected]

https://linktr.ee/laurietrahan

https://linktr.ee/sherrydavis69.sd

Laurie Cross BSW, M.Ed, LPCC

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61569069470624&rdid=NdWH71yIP7bejEVJ&share_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fshare%2F1DTkLZZs6f%2F#

Clearer Minds Mental Health

[email protected]

Military Mental Health Support | Military OneSource

https://www.militaryonesource.mil/health-wellness/mental-health

988 Lifeline - If you need emotional support, reach out to the national mental health hotline

https://www.militaryonesource.mil/health-wellness/mental-health

https://988lifeline.org/

Tricare Mental Health Care

https://www.telemynd.com/tricare?

Objective Zero - Free Mental Health APP

https://www.objectivezero.org/

In this episode, Laurie, Sherry, and Annika sit down with Sergeant First Class George — a 9.5-year Army veteran, tanker (19K), and former drill sergeant at Fort Benning — to pull back the curtain on basic training. SFC George breaks down the culture shock recruits face on day one, the personal and financial prep families should handle before shipping out, and why nicotine and social-media withdrawal hit "iPad kid" recruits harder than expected. The hosts also dig into the Army's evolving phone-call policy during training and what it means for parents craving connection with their soldier. A must-listen for any parent, spouse, or future recruit gearing up for basic.

[email protected]

https://linktr.ee/laurietrahan

https://linktr.ee/sherrydavis69.sd

Spotlight

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf_qH1ak2vl6Fy8MccvRSKJh0hzYgWiapBPkEgB3wzXLIobig/viewform?usp=publish-editor