Not every road to purpose is a straight one. For Michelle Lang, it wound through Fulton County, Pennsylvania, a rural community of just over a thousand people, through years of military spouse life nobody prepares you for, and eventually toward a mission she built herself.
In this episode of the Tango Tango podcast, sponsored by CareSource Military & Veterans, host Lloyd Knight sits down with Michelle Lang, Executive Director of Operation Honor: Rural Salutes, to talk through her path from small-town Pennsylvania to founding a nonprofit focused on bringing resources to rural veterans and military families. Michelle opens up about the hard years at Fort Drum, working four jobs just to feel useful, the toxic spouse culture she encountered, and the moment during her husband's deployment that made her stop waiting and start building.
They also get into the Bush Institute Veterans Leadership Program, how the connections she made there became the foundation of her work, and what Operation Honor Rural Salutes is doing across North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and South Carolina to bring community events, VA resources, and real support directly to the people who need it most. Michelle's advice to struggling military spouses cuts straight to the point: take ownership of yourself, build your community, and remember that being a good neighbor starts with you.
Jump into the conversation:
(00:00) Intro
(01:43) Growing up in small-town Fulton County, Pennsylvania
(03:51) Small-town job market and JLG Industries
(04:55) College, first jobs, and life before the military
(07:13) Learning about military life through Chris
(08:19) How they met and got married
(10:18) Struggling as a military spouse at Fort Drum
(13:46) Finding community at Fort Benning
(16:32) Chris's transition and the spark for a nonprofit
(17:11) Starting Operation Honor Rural Salutes during deployment
(20:41) Lessons and connections from the Bush Institute program
(26:38) Scaling events to four states and advice for military spouses
Additional Links & Resources:
Tango Tango is proudly sponsored by CareSource Military & Veterans and Supply Chain Now. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/no-veteran-forgotten-rural-mission-2tt16
