The military spouses building businesses in the desert: ‘learning to stand on your own two feet’

In Twentynine Palms, California, these business owners have gained more than a job - they've built a sense of identity

The California desert, for 28-year-old Madie Chapman, was a shock to the system.

Chapman became a desert resident last summer, when her husband, a field radio operator, was stationed at the Twentynine Palms combat center, the largest US Marine Corps training base in the world. Within just a few months of receiving orders, the couple moved with their three young children to the secluded outpost near Joshua Tree national park, joining the thousands of other active-duty service members and their families who live there.