THE
wave
PERSONALITY
MONUMENTAL PROGRESS Michelle Caldwell bridges gaps in veteran services by PAIGE AIGRET
M
ichelle Caldwell is a veteran, CEO and founder of several organizations, a youth advocate, a 16-time foster parent and an adoptive parent of two children. But Caldwell is tightly focused especially on military veterans. Both her father and uncle served in the military. Seeing her uncle return from Vietnam truly struck her with the weight that soldiers carry home from war and the struggles they face in returning to their communities. As an adult, Caldwell was inspired to join the military after volunteering with a missionary group while in college. She served in naval aviation from 1985 to 1989. Now, Caldwell is working on a number of projects through the Monument to Women Veterans Museum, which opened in November 2021. The museum is located in Pensacola in what used to be the Amtrak Station. Pensacola lies within Congressional District 1, which ranks No. 1 in the country for the number of military personnel and veterans per capita. In starting the nonprofit MWV 10 years ago, Caldwell assessed programs for veterans in her area and identified unmet needs. She found that the greatest void was in services for women. The museum is just one piece in the greater machine that is the MWV. Caldwell has big plans for the old Amtrak
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June-July 2022
EMERALDCOASTMAGA ZINE.COM
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Michelle Caldwell is nothing if not ambitious. A military veteran, she is a mental health counselor, community servant, foster and adoptive parent and the founder of the Monument to Women Veterans Museum in Pensacola. She plans to make the museum a resource center for veterans transitioning back to civilian life.
photography by JENNIFER G PHOTOGRAPHY
