Just in time for Valentine’s day, we wanted to share a heartfelt story about two IVMF team members that found each other through their work with the veteran community.
While Marine veterans Michael and Colleen Drum didn’t meet in the military, their shared experience of being Marines meant they had a lot in common already when they met while working for the D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF).
Colleen works as the Onward to Opportunity installation manager for Fort Drum in upstate New York. Michael is currently the national program coordinator for the Onward to Opportunity program but will soon take on a new position as the operations officer for the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs (OVMA).
“We met in person for the first time at the IVMF all hands meeting in 2019, we had first met on a virtual meeting before since I was remote at the time,” says Colleen, who previously worked for the IVMF in southern California prior to relocating to Central New York. “We were both veterans and we had a lot in common so it helped, especially as a female veteran it can be tough to date men who haven’t been through those same experiences, and some find the role reversal challenging.”
“As veterans we were both pretty used to tough scenarios and I think that made it a lot easier for us both to move in together finally,” says Michael.
The pair also expressed their appreciation for the IVMF’s leadership–particularly Maureen Casey, IVMF chief operating officer–for supporting their relationship. They married in Skaneateles, New York, in fall 2022 and are now expecting their first child later this year.
Read the rest of the stories for Valentine’s Day about military, Syracuse, and love.