Our employees are what make VMSI truly valuable. As a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business, we take immense pride in recognizing and celebrating our veteran employees for their service to our country and for their contributions to VMSI. We are excited to feature Madison Vogeler in this month’s Veteran Spotlight.
Madison is a dedicated Contract Specialist who supports the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Acquisition and Grants Office (AGO) National Weather Service branch. Her main responsibilities include maintaining current contracts for the Alaska and Pacific regions, ensuring continuity of service and compliance with federal regulations as well as working with each of those regional headquarters to see a requirement through the procurement process.
Madison dedicated 5 years to the United States Marine Corps as a Signals Intelligence Cryptologic Linguist, achieving the rank of Sergeant. She comes from a proud military family with her grandfather, father, mother, and husband who have all served or continue to serve in the Marine Corps. Inspired by the stories of her parents’ service, Madison knew from a young age that she too wanted to follow in their footsteps. After graduating from college, Madison spent a year as a domestic violence victim advocate before pursuing a career in the Marine Corps.
Madison’s commendable service earned her numerous awards and medals, including Marine Expeditionary Force Marine of the Year, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, and a NATO Medal.
Madison’s first deployment to Afghanistan stands out as her most memorable experience. It was her first time traveling so far from home, and the experience was unlike anything she had done before. Also, Afghanistan had the best chow hall food that she had experienced! Beyond the food, the highlights of her service include the people she met along the way and the lifelong friendships she made. Madison shared, “There are people from all different walks of life, but you somehow find common ground and bond. I also met my husband while in the Marine Corps and I am thankful every day for that.”
Reflecting on another moment, Madison shared that she had never seen a shooting star before until she was on a training exercise in the California desert. She said, “the stars out there were the most beautiful I had ever seen. You can always find something good in a tough situation if you look hard enough.”
Drawing from her experience, Madison shared three valuable tips for soon-to-be veterans:
- Take advantage of all the classes and training you can go to before you get out, the more training you have the more marketable skills you can showcase.
- Use your TA or GI Bill, TA is free to use while you are active duty and if you aren’t 100% sure what you want to do after transitioning out, use the GI Bill and find what you enjoy.
- Lastly, keep in touch with the friends and connections you have made. Veterans are unfortunately all too familiar with the “22 a Day” movement. Reach out to your friends and never be afraid to ask for help.
We are proud to have Madison Vogeler as part of the VMSI team and grateful for her exemplary service and dedication.