NotebookLM is a great tool to build learning resources like this Fine-Tuning Playbook, where we walk through the process of customizing foundational models for specific tasks.

Vets Who Code Updates: New job, new cohort, new content coming soon! We hit 100 subscribers — and we're just getting started. 🎉 Jerome Hardaway, Executive Director of Vets Who Code, is back with a big update. In this video, Jerome breaks down what's been happening,…

We've had our hands full with things at VWC—watch this video for the latest updates: youtu.be/tUg5IjxMB9o?...

#VetsWhoCode Welcome to Vets Who Code 🇺🇸💻 Empowering Veterans. Building the Future of Tech. At Vets Who Code, we help transitioning military veterans become tomorrow’s tech leaders. Our channel is your…

The Vets Who Code youtube channel just hit 100 subsribers. You should definitely follow if you want to upgrade your engineering career. www.youtube.com/channel/UCk2...

Treating AI like infra instead of a novelty changes how you design systems.

We wrote a breakdown of an AI audio pipeline from that perspective.

buff.ly/FllJETM

Take something simple like an audio pipeline.

You still have the same engineering concerns:

• ingestion
• processing
• failure states
• output structure
• storage

AI doesn’t change that.

Most AI conversations focus on prompts.

But engineers should be asking a different question:

“How does this fit into a system?”

Thread 👇

Better question than “Can AI do this?”

“How would I productionize this?”

We walked through an AI audio pipeline and how it fits into a real system: ingestion, transcription, processing, structured outputs.

AI belongs in your infra diagram.

buff.ly/FllJETM

Ai as infrastructure: automating blog audio with gemini and cloudinary How we built an automated audio overview system using Google Gemini and Cloudinary, treating AI as infrastructure rather than magic—removing friction between knowledge and the people who need it.

AI isn’t magic.
It’s infra.

Most people are focused on prompts.
Engineers should be focused on systems.

Inputs → processing → outputs.

We broke down an AI audio pipeline from an engineering perspective.

Join the VetsWhoCode Briefing List Read by engineers, veterans, and hiring leaders across the tech industry.

We’re launching Field Notes, a new newsletter from Jerome Hardaway.

It will publish between SITREP editions and focus on the realities of building durable engineers in tech.

Join the list before the first issue lands:

Portfolio Checklist for Software Engineers | Vets Who Code Vets Who Code is a non-profit organization that provides free technical training to veterans and their spouses.

Most developer portfolios fail for one simple reason:

They show projects, but they don’t explain impact.

If a hiring manager can’t quickly see:
• what you build
• who it helps
• why it matters

they move on.

We put together a portfolio checklist to help fix that.

Happy Birthday to the U.S. Navy Reserve. ⚓

Citizen-sailors balancing civilian careers and military readiness—then stepping forward when the mission demands it.

Always ready isn’t marketing.
It’s muscle memory.

Fair winds. 🇺🇸

They were told they couldn’t.

The Tuskegee Airmen became one of the most respected fighter groups of WWII.

The crew of the USS Mason proved their skill in a segregated Navy.

When tested, they delivered.

History question:

What Black military story do you think more Americans should know?

Drop it below. 👇

Remembering the Harlem Hellfighters One of the most renowned units of African American combat troops during World War I was the highly decorated 369th Infantry Regiment — best known as the “Harlem Hellfighters” — heroes whose stories,…

Harlem Hellfighters: buff.ly/42S3lZa

Red Ball Express: buff.ly/3vXZtYf

761st Tank Battalion:
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The 761st Tank Battalion served 183 consecutive days in combat.

Their motto: “Come out fighting.”

Different roles. Same excellence.

After D-Day, the Red Ball Express kept fuel and ammunition moving across Europe.

Logistics win wars.

The Harlem Hellfighters spent more time in combat than any U.S. unit in WWI — and earned France’s highest honors.

When America went to war overseas, Black service members were already ready.

🧵

National Museum of the United States Army This Kurz and Allison print from 1890 depicts the moment of Col. Shaw’s death during the assault on Fort Wagner. Library of Congress

If you want to go deeper:
buff.ly/4b9BXbe

The 54th Massachusetts led the assault on Fort Wagner in 1863.

They knew the odds.
They volunteered anyway.

Their courage helped change public perception of Black soldiers in combat.

America’s First Black Regiment Fought the British The Slave Enlistment Act of 1778 offered freedom for fighting.

Learn more about the 1st Rhode Island Regiment here:
buff.ly/K7slJ2f

In 1778, the 1st Rhode Island Regiment enlisted Black soldiers to fight for independence.

They were defending liberty in a country that hadn’t fully decided liberty included them.

That’s not a side story.

That’s foundational history.

Happy Birthday to the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve. ⚓

Citizen-sailors who balance careers, families, and readiness—then step up when the mission calls.

Always ready isn’t a slogan. It’s a standard.

Semper Paratus. 🇺🇸

This breaks down how onboarding quietly excludes veterans—and what better design looks like.
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Traditional onboarding assumes everyone already knows how the room works.

Veterans often don’t—and that’s not a failure. It’s a design flaw.

Black service isn’t a footnote in American history.

It’s part of the foundation.

For the next two weeks, we’re honoring Black Americans who served — across centuries, across branches.

Some stories you know.
Some you probably don’t.

Follow along.

When veterans struggle during onboarding, it’s rarely a “soft skills” problem.

It’s unclear systems, unspoken rules, and assumptions masquerading as culture.

We wrote about that here:
buff.ly/iA9GL8O

What’s one thing your first civilian job never explained—but expected you to know on day one?

This is why traditional onboarding fails a lot of veterans.
👇
buff.ly/iA9GL8O

Vets who code 2026: what to know before you apply Applications close February 14, 2026. The cohort starts April 7th. We rebuilt the program from scratch this year. Here's what changed, what it requires, and how to know if it's right for you.

If you’re unsure whether it’s a fit, we wrote that down too. No hype, just clarity.

Read before you apply:
buff.ly/B5YZXYq

Applications close Feb 14.