Pamela Swan, a member of the Board of Directors of the Travis Mills Foundation said what she brings to the organization is simple: “The willingness to work as hard as the veterans who are using the facilities at the Travis Mills Foundation Veterans Retreat.”
Serving veterans isn’t new to Pam, in fact, it’s a decades-long calling for this spouse of a retired U.S. Army soldier. She is Vice President of Military Relations and Business Development for Veterans United Home Loans. Pam develops training for all Military Relations team members. Additionally, she creates certification programs to ensure employees are properly trained on all products and services, develops content for internal publications and serves as media spokesperson for Veterans United. It’s also been her privilege to honor veterans on behalf of Veterans United on Fox, CNN, Good Morning America, Fox and Friends, and more.
When Pam was invited by Chairman Jim Shubert to join the board of the Travis Mills Foundation, she wanted to meet the organization’s founder, U.S. Army SSG (Ret.) Travis Mills.
“I had heard of him through my work with other wounded veterans who knew Travis and his passion,” she said, adding that she flew from Missouri to Boston and drove north to Maine to experience the Retreat firsthand and to meet Travis.
“Seeing the magic that happens there is truly inspiring,” she said.
When Pam met Travis, she was energized.
“He’s always moving forward to something bigger, better,” she said. “I immediately thought, ‘How can I keep up with him?’ I had to remind myself that he’s missing four limbs.”
Pam said it made sense for her to join the board considering her background.
In addition to working on internal programs at Veterans United, she has utilized her financial background to construct programs that educate military families on their current and future financial stability. She regularly presents to military audiences around the world, with more than 100,000 servicemembers directly benefitting from her knowledge and expertise in the financial arena.
She is a nationally recognized expert on military personnel finance, having authored several articles about financial success for military members and has appeared on MSNBC to discuss identity theft issues. She is a Certified Identity Theft Risk Management Specialist, Certified Credit Report Reviewer and an Accredited Financial Counselor.
Additionally, she’s extremely proud to be a recipient of the prestigious Dr. Mary Walker Award, the highest honor given to military spouses for their support and service, and has been inducted as an honorary SGM At Fort Leavenworth in Kansas. Pam has also received the Citation for Exceptional Service in support of National Defense from AUSA Headquarters.
“Joining the board of the Travis Mills Foundation was a good fit because it’s my goal to always stay focused on the military, both current servicemembers and veterans,” she said. “I don’t think you can ever help one side without recognizing the sacrifices made to get where they are or where they came from.”
Pam considers herself fortunate to have witnessed firsthand the mission of the Travis Mills Foundation.
“Participants have the security of knowing that they can trust the person helping them on these wonderful adventures,” she said. “Even if they falter a bit, they know TMF staff are there to help them to achieve success.”
Pam said when she meets disabled veterans, she’s blinded to their disabilities.
“I see their successes,” she said. “When I meet a veteran in a wheelchair or with a prosthetic, I see someone who has overcome more than most of us in the world could even imagine. I see who they are, who they were before their injuries.”
“It’s incredible to be in the presence of men and women who by all accounts, weren’t supposed to survive or who maybe didn’t even want to survive after severe injuries,” she added. “Travis is a prime example. Just look at how many lives he’s changed and even saved. I consider myself to be the most blessed woman in the world.”