Women vets speak out about their service

Women vets speak out about their service

YOUNGSTOWN — Four local veterans say serving their county in the military defined and changed their lives.

One was an electronic warfare intelligence analyst tracking Russian movements for the Army.

Another trained Air Force personnel to survive on the ground in all conditions and terrain after they had jumped or been ejected from their airplanes.

Two others were administrative specialists. One was chief clerk of the Womens Air Force basic training squadron; and the other worked for a sergeant major and adjutant handling a myriad of personnel matters at the battalion level.

What they have in common, besides volunteering to serve their country in the military, and being proud veterans, is that they are women.

There was a time when enlisted women in the military were more rare than now, and they often were considered by their enlisted male counterparts as less than real soldiers.

Some of that attitude still exists, said Karen Brandt, who spent 29 years in the Air Force before retiring in 2004. There is still the perception among some that a woman must have slept with someone to get promoted, she said.

For the complete story, see Sunday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com.