Finding Strength in the Military
The Monroe Times is offering this special piece, Finding Strength in the Military, to recognize local female veterans who have served in the armed forces. We are highlighting veterans all week as part of our Veterans Day coverage.
MONROE - When Col. Janel Keizer graduated from basic training, instead of getting a pair of combat boots like the men, she was given a pair of dress shoes. It wasn't until viewing her military career in hindsight that she noticed some of the inequities of being a woman in the military.
But those inequities didn't keep her from being appointed commander of the 115th Services Flights - and eventually being given a pair of combat boots.
Keizer joined the Wisconsin Air National Guard April 17, 1982, to honor her father who was also in the military. She signed up for six years but stayed for 34.
During her time in the military, she served as an inventory management specialist, she participated in Operation Noble Eagle, which mobilized service members after Sept. 11, and Operation Enduring Freedom, the "war on terror" mission, and she was deployed in 2003 to the Middle East to establish a bare base for Operation Iraqi Freedom where she was the services commander and ensured her unit had adequate food and water.
While deployed in the Middle East, Keizer said she sometimes had to bring a man with her to communicate to foreign officers because they wouldn't take her seriously as a woman. And when a host once offered her unit tea, she was the only one who wasn't given any, despite her having the highest rank.
The hardest part of her deployment, she said, was the uncertainty of what expectations would be placed on her and when she would be able to return home. She had three sons and a husband back home who she was able to call once a week.
"I missed my boys more than anything in the world," Keizer said. "It got too hard to hear their voices. My youngest son asked me once if I would be home for supper that night."
While serving, Keizer gained confidence and enjoyed working with younger officers and helping them become leaders.
"There are great opportunities for women in the military," Keizer said. "You just have to be able to stand your ground and be assertive."
But those inequities didn't keep her from being appointed commander of the 115th Services Flights - and eventually being given a pair of combat boots.
Keizer joined the Wisconsin Air National Guard April 17, 1982, to honor her father who was also in the military. She signed up for six years but stayed for 34.
During her time in the military, she served as an inventory management specialist, she participated in Operation Noble Eagle, which mobilized service members after Sept. 11, and Operation Enduring Freedom, the "war on terror" mission, and she was deployed in 2003 to the Middle East to establish a bare base for Operation Iraqi Freedom where she was the services commander and ensured her unit had adequate food and water.
While deployed in the Middle East, Keizer said she sometimes had to bring a man with her to communicate to foreign officers because they wouldn't take her seriously as a woman. And when a host once offered her unit tea, she was the only one who wasn't given any, despite her having the highest rank.
The hardest part of her deployment, she said, was the uncertainty of what expectations would be placed on her and when she would be able to return home. She had three sons and a husband back home who she was able to call once a week.
"I missed my boys more than anything in the world," Keizer said. "It got too hard to hear their voices. My youngest son asked me once if I would be home for supper that night."
While serving, Keizer gained confidence and enjoyed working with younger officers and helping them become leaders.
"There are great opportunities for women in the military," Keizer said. "You just have to be able to stand your ground and be assertive."