“They told her she didn't belong.”
Senior Master Sergeant (Ret.) Bobi Pike-Oates heard those words on the flight line of the U.S. Air Force. Instead of walking away, she proved them dead wrong. Over a 23-year career, Bobi rose through the ranks, led maintenance crews, and helped stand up the very first Predator UAV Reconnaissance Squadron at Creech AFB, changing the future of air combat.
But Bobi's story doesn't end with the uniform. Today, she leads weekly funeral honors for unaccompanied veterans at the Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery, serves on state and national advocacy boards, and continues her mission of fighting for women veterans to be recognized equally.
In this episode of Vegas Veteran Voices, Bobi opens up about:
Being told she didn't belong... and what it took to prove otherwise.
Building the Predator drone program from the ground up.
Deployments that tested her leadership in Hungary and Turkey.
The emotional weight of burying forgotten veterans every Thursday.
Why she sees her mission as “fixing the relationship between the military and its women veterans.”
This is the story of a trailblazer, a fighter, and a guardian of the forgotten. Bobi Pike-Oates proved them wrong and still serves today.