VETERANS

to an Army recruiting office, inspiration struck when she spotted one of those “Uncle Sam Wants You” posters.

“Uncle Sam really did want me,” said Mahady, who joined the ROTC in college and then the Army.

The two were among several female veterans who shared their stories and experiences in a panel discussion Thursday at the Ohio History Connection as part of Women’s History Month.

They talked about what inspired them to join the military, what challenges they faced and what experiences they brought away and applied to civilian life.

The panelists are among more than 67,000 women veterans living in Ohio today who have served with distinction in different wars in many capacities, according to the Ohio Department of Veterans Services, which sponsored the discussion.

Thursday was Vietnam Veterans Day, so department Director Chip Tansill also distributed commemorative lapel pins to six veterans who served during the Vietnam era.

Dorothy “Dottie” Windau, 95, joined the Navy in New York City in

1944 during World War II, and served on the Norfolk, Virginia, naval base until 1948. Her biggest challenge?

“Sailors,” she said, prompting a wave of laughter from the audience. She met her husband, Paul Windau, while they were in the Navy. They then moved to his native Ohio and raised a family of five, including three sons who served during the Vietnam War.

“My life started the day I went in the Navy,” she said. “Truly, I’m very proud I was in and I would encourage anyone to go into the military. It taught me respect and obedience.”

For example, Windau said, “I learned that if the admiral told you to do something, he told you once.” It was a management style, she said, she would later use raising her five kids.

“Time management was huge,” said Good, who went on to raise four children. “The Navy taught me that, and problem-solving.”

Army veterans Susan Green and Jasmin Hurley graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1985 and 2005, respectively. Green retired as a lieutenant colonel in 2005 and runs a hunting business. Hurley was commissioned as a military police officer whose assignments included deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2008-09. She is now an associate lawyer at a local firm.

Hurley said the problemsolving and people skills she learned in the military help her both as a lawyer and also in her community volunteer work. “Like most veterans, my interest in serving didn’t end when I took off the uniform,” she said.

Kari Pfeifer, who served with the 179th Airlift Wing of the Ohio Air National Guard for 21 years, said she learned discipline and how to do the job well despite distractions. She spoke emotionally about how everyone stayed focused when the Department of Defense recommended closing the Mansfield Air National Guard base.

“You continue with your mission and you continue doing what you are supposed to do,” Pfeifer said. That is a life lesson, she said, and not just in the military. State and local officials fought successfully to save the base.

Women were a rarity at West Point when she was there, Green recalled. Now the opportunities are unlimited, she told the teenage girls listening in the audience.

“We are Rangers now, captains of ships, infantry officers,” Green said. “We are everywhere. Ladies of the future, you’ve got wonderful opportunities.”