Welcome to the "Militarily Speaking" podcast with Tom McLean and Jodi Vickery.

In this episode of “Militarily Speaking,” Tom, Jodi, and guest Master Sergeant Blaine Scott from Semper Fi & America’s Fund, discuss his incredible story of service and injury that led to the life-changing support he received from the organization. He explains how they support veterans and veteran owned business startups, and how you can help the organization.

“Militarily Speaking” is a podcast produced by Armed Forces Bank that is dedicated to the military lifestyle and all the things that makes military community who they are.

Ep. 32 — Semper Fi & America’s Fund with Master Sergeant Blaine Scott

Jodi introduces Master Sergeant Blaine Scott from Semper Fi & America's Fund. She then shares the story of his service in the Marine Corps and his personal experience of being wounded in Iraq and later returning to active service in Afghanistan.

Blaine talks about the mission of Semper Fi & America's Fund, which is to support combat-wounded service members, veterans, and military families from all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces. Blaine explains how the organization helps service members and their families with small things like gas for cars and hotel rooms to bigger things like vehicle and house modifications and helping with bills.

He then shares his personal story of how the organization has supported him and his family from the time of his injury to the present day. For Blaine and his wife, this including providing baby clothes and furniture when they were starting out. Blaine's story is a reminder of the organization's commitment to helping veterans for the rest of their lives.

Semper Fi & America’s Fund Programs

Blaine explains how case management is the backbone of Semper Fi & America’s Fund for service members, helping them build relationships and trust so they can access the resources they need. He explains how the case managers build that relationship for the long term, actively calling the service members asking what they need assistance with. He notes that his wife is one of the case managers.

Blaine then discusses their apprenticeship program that helps veterans to build businesses. He explains the importance of their support in providing emotional and financial resources to veterans. He continues by sharing the numbers of the Fund, including how they've helped over 30,000 veterans and given out over $280 million.

He continues by telling the story of one of the veterans they have helped, drawing attention to the lifelong relationship they form. He explains how a number of combat injuries have a lifelong impact, and how they have helped veterans over the years.

How to Support Semper Fi & America's Fund

Blaine notes how word-of-mouth is a key factor in the success of Semper Fi America's Fund. He explains that they would rather spend the money on veterans than pay for advertisements to bring in more donations. This reason is why they are able to give almost $0.92 per $1 donated towards assisting veterans.

He continues by mentioning the many ways people can get involved, either by volunteering, providing financial support, or visiting their website to learn more.

Blaine and Jodi joke about Jodi’s experience being a military spouse and how her nickname of ‘Household 6’ is still affectionately used at home. Jodi then asks Blaine to discuss how he feels being able to give back to the veteran community, that he is a part of. He explains how rewarding it is being able to help other veterans and service members achieve their goals.

Military Minute

Jodi concludes the episode by introducing the Military Minute, beginning by closing out last episode’s Military Minute.

●     Last episode’s Military Minute: What movie recently became one of the top 5 grossing movies of all time?

●     Answer: Top Gun Maverick

●     This week’s Military Minute question: What is the most watched YouTube video of all time?

●     Watch for Facebook and Instagram posts about this episode.

●     Answer with the correct answer and you plus a charity of your choice can each win $50.

Tom closes the episode by asking listeners to go to www.afbank.com and subscribe to the show, as well as leave a rating and comment on your favorite podcast platform such as Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Join us to hear how to better navigate your finances, military life, and the crossroads of the two.

Visit www.afbank.com