I am a retired Army First Sergeant of 20+ years, a mother of two adult children; author, and the Founder of Mana o Toa Military Mentoring. Mana of Toa means Spirit of the Brave, in Samoan, and American Samoa is where I grew up at age five, after my parents divorced and my mother moved us there from Arlington, Texas. It was there that I learned the Samoan language and culture and joined the military after high school because Samoans are pro-military. It started from colonialism back in 1960 and today, most Samoans believe their sons and daughters should join the military because of the myriad of opportunities that the military provides. Mana o Toa provides long-term military mentors to our U.S. warriors for stability, continuity, and consistency from day 1 through separation / retirement. We provide career coaching, academic advising and transition services for our warriors and adult family members. I created Mana o Toa because I was so lost during my early years on active duty. I wanted to provide what I needed when I was a young soldier because it believe that a good mentor, in these formative years, can have a lasting positive impact on a member's life. Mana o Toa's mentors are retirees or active duty personnel from all military services and advisors have at least a Masters degree and are Adjunct Professors. Mana o Toa intends to grow to have at least a mentor, officer and enlisted, in each military service and/or branch so that we can advise our mentees with as much current information as possible.