Ohio military mom joins National Guard

WILLOUGHBY, Ohio (AP) — A 56-year-old Ohio doctor and married mother of three sons has joined the National Guard.

Dr. Maita Jarkewicz of Willoughby in suburban Cleveland was commissioned as a captain in the Ohio National Guard at her swearing-in ceremony Monday.

She then saluted her son James, a private first class in the Guard. He had urged his mother to consider a career in the military.

Jarkewicz had a medical practice in Willoughby for 14 years before closing it in 2004 because of the cost of malpractice insurance. Before that, she worked as a paramedic/firefighter for five years.