Connolly, Rosemary, MSgt

PLEASE DESCRIBE WHO OR WHAT INFLUENCED YOUR DECISION TO JOIN THE AIR FORCE.

Me and my recruiters 1972

As children, we are pressured by the question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" At some point in my youth, I saw a cardboard stand in the post office of a woman in military uniform. I wanted to be like that. I finally had an answer to what I wanted to be, and I was told that I might be too short for the requirements of 5'2" like traditional airline stewardesses, and I put it out of my mind.

Later, when I came of age, this requirement had changed. I took the exam for the Army and passed. At the request of my sister, whose husband was in the Air Force, I was encouraged to take the entrance exam for the Air Force. I found my recruiters very encouraging, and their office was near the cafe where I was working. We couldn't even start the paperwork until we were 18 and had to have our parent's permission and five references.

WHETHER YOU WERE IN THE SERVICE FOR SEVERAL YEARS OR AS A CAREER, PLEASE DESCRIBE THE DIRECTION OR PATH YOU TOOK. WHERE DID YOU GO TO BASIC TRAINING AND WHAT UNITS, BASES, OR SQUADRONS WERE YOU ASSIGNED TO? WHAT WAS YOUR REASON FOR LEAVING?
I was given a direct duty assignment (DDA) as a Supply Services Specialist right after 6 weeks of basic training at Barksdale AFB, LA, in January 1973. It was rare to see an airman basic on an active duty base unless they were busted because most Airmen got their first stripe during technical training. With nothing on my sleeve yet, I was occasionally given a hesitant salute, being mistaken as an officer. I was really the lowest of the low. I was assigned to the base commissary. I really didn't like this job, nor was I good as a cashier.

I retrained in administration. I learned to type on an old typewriter with the lever carriage return. I helped with the NOTAMS on the flight line. I really liked this because I felt I was really in the Air Force as opposed to working in the commissary. Later the commissary career field (known as supply services specialist) was contracted out. I will always remember the first sergeant that made my retraining happen. He later gave me away at my wedding. I was administrative thereafter with a 4-year break for special duty as a Professional Military Training Instructor at Lowery AFB, CO.

IF YOU PARTICIPATED IN ANY MILITARY OPERATIONS, INCLUDING COMBAT, HUMANITARIAN AND PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS, PLEASE DESCRIBE THOSE WHICH MADE A LASTING IMPACT ON YOU AND, IF LIFE-CHANGING, IN WHAT WAY?
I did not suffer deployments like most, but I spent 6 non-consecutive weeks (4 weeks followed by 2 weeks to supplement a gap in the position while the assignee got a passport). I was in Saudi Arabia with the Elf One Operations (part of the cold war era during the

963d AWACS NCOof the Quarter Oct - Dec 87

war between Iran and Iraq) with the 552nd Airborne Warning and Control Wing. For this, I did get the Expeditionary Medal and an understanding of the environment that those deployed after me had endured, such as Desert Storm and OIF. I had to wear the abaya when going downtown and under escort by either a woman or 2 men. On one trip shopping with the escort of 2 men, we were stopped and questioned by the Matowa (religious police with batons) about their relationship with me since I did not cover my head and had only the abaya robe on in the old market. We were all cleared, but they taught us a lesson about their custom. It's their country and their laws regardless of citizenship status.

Office work there was somewhat normal, but some calls that I received I was hung up on. They may have been Saudi men expecting a male voice. I will never forget the opportunity I was given if I was caught up in my work when I took a night AWACS mission. I was allowed to get caught up on sleep during the 12 hr flight and rested on board so I could go right to work after landing. I was awakened by a crew member to see a night refueling from the cockpit that I'll never forget.

How they do, that is amazing. http://www.patriotfiles.com/index.php?name=Sections&req=viewarticle&artid=580&page=1

DID YOU ENCOUNTER A SITUATION DURING YOUR MILITARY SERVICE WHEN YOU BELIEVED THERE WAS A POSSIBILITY YOU MIGHT NOT SURVIVE? PLEASE DESCRIBE WHAT HAPPENED AND WHAT WAS THE OUTCOME.
Not really but empathetically. I was with NATO during Desert Storm and we were concerned about the spread into NATO nations. My family and I were in Italy, so we laid low.

OF ALL YOUR DUTY STATIONS OR ASSIGNMENTS, WHICH ONE DO YOU HAVE FONDEST MEMORIES OF AND WHY? WHICH WAS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE?
Wow, this is a tough question. I've always tried to make the most of any assignment and looked at the assignment as a life experience to grasp. I liked Barksdale AFB because it woke up a young, naive girl to the real World by seeing B-52s that were returning from

AIRSOUTH change of command detail about 1992

Vietnam. I enjoyed RAF Mildenhall because it broadened my view of the World and made pictures of thicket fences and thatched roofs a reality, and interested me in history and culture. I enjoyed Ellsworth AFB, SD, for the beauty of the Black Hills and learned to respect Native Americans. Ellsworth started me on a path of professional development and my desire to become a PME instructor. I enjoyed Lowery AFB, CO, for the challenges it gave me on the job. I recognized the need for joining military organizations such as the Air Force Sergeants Association and the support they provided our new leaders. Tinker AFB, well, I learned about tornado alley and the Bible Belt but moreover, I had a TDY to Riyad Saudi Arabia with AWACS.

Later, I really enjoyed working for NATO's AIR SOUTH despite the bad things I heard about Naples. My leadership skills were tested when I had to supervise some NCOs of other nationalities that out-ranked me. Americans took a leading role in NATO. Sometimes gender was an issue for other countries as well in accepting me as the authority for the office I managed. I was there when Dessert Storm went on, and we feared its impact if a NATO nation was attacked. I lived off base and hunkered down since I didn't know who was out there.

My last and shortest assignment was Air Defense Command at Los Angeles AFB, CA. Los Angeles AFB was a good transition base before retirement and top-heavy in rank. Those that had my position before probably felt the same way based on the slack record-keeping and office inspection visits required within our unit. When I conducted documentation filing inspections with our sub-unit secretaries, I was not met with defensiveness of their performance but received a welcoming for guidance they had rarely seen.

FROM YOUR ENTIRE MILITARY SERVICE, DESCRIBE ANY MEMORIES YOU STILL REFLECT BACK ON TO THIS DAY.
I remember my first trip on an airplane to basic training. When we landed, the TI separated the men and women while giving a piece of his mind on things to come. He also had training in etiquette by having one of the guys carry my bag. Being a girl

my first plaque from the 513th Supply Sq Mildenhall England

and was not used to these lady-like gestures.

My first-time experience as a supervisor was NCOIC in the Orderly Room at RAF Mildenhall. My subordinate resulted in death. I was supervising a young airman who was really strange. She claimed to be of British background and spoke with an accent; however, her records didn't reveal this to be true. She was often late or AWOL. Numerous disciplinary actions were made but not strong enough for discharge because the Air Force was going through a phase of strong, strong for discharge and giving airmen a second and third chance.

Well, I completed the documents for the third AWOL after being missing for over 24 hours, but it turned out she was later found dead in the newly remodeled female dorm's bathtub. We had previously looked in the dorms, but the communal bath door was locked and obviously occupied. The first sergeant and I left whomever in their privacy. I was very pregnant with my first child at this time also.

We will never know if she had slipped and fell in the tub and drowned or if her mental status was indirectly the cause. For this reason, it is so important, even for responsible adults, to let someone know your plans and whereabouts, so you do not end up alone in a gutter somewhere. Because of my husband's age difference, we began raising a family, and our first son was born in England.

WHAT PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF FROM YOUR MILITARY CAREER?

Retirement MSM

Air Force Meritorious Medal Received during my retirement ceremony on 11/16/94. This was sent to my parents, and I never saw it until my sister sent it to me today (5/21/15).

I'm also proud to be base NCO of the Year at Lowry AFB, CO, having made it through squadron and quarterly levels.

OF ALL THE MEDALS, AWARDS, FORMAL PRESENTATIONS AND QUALIFICATION BADGES YOU RECEIVED, OR OTHER MEMORABILIA, WHICH ONE IS THE MOST MEANINGFUL TO YOU AND WHY?
I am appreciative of all my awards. The AFCM and AFAM helped me with promotion testing. The MSM was really my farewell gift for 22 years of service. However, after leaving and now as a veteran, I realize that it is the Air Force Expeditionary Medal from my short tour

Air Force Commendation Medal.

in Saudi Arabia that, in a small way, relates my experience to our past veterans and our younger service members in the Global War on Terror. It is that ribbon that qualifies me for the VFW.

After 911, I came out of my veteran-hidden shell with strong emotions. I was livid at the protests by a certain Church (hence not given a specific name but rather called uninvited guests or UGs). As a mother of an Iraq veteran and a veteran myself, this war hit me maternally and as a comrade in arms. I was an early joiner of the Patriot Guard Riders. I got involved in many organizations as I possibly could while still working. The involvement was recognized as an Illinois State Veteran of the month in March of 2011 and also DAR veteran volunteer of the year in April 2022.

WHICH INDIVIDUAL(S) FROM YOUR TIME IN THE MILITARY STAND OUT AS HAVING THE MOST POSITIVE IMPACT ON YOU AND WHY?

Frank Connolly 1963

My late husband. We met in 1973 when he returned from his 3rd tour in Vietnam. Obviously impressed me enough for me to marry a man who was older than me by 14 years and wiser. I had to spend the rest of my life with him to learn more and grow.

LIST THE NAMES OF OLD FRIENDS YOU SERVED WITH, AT WHICH LOCATIONS, AND RECOUNT WHAT YOU REMEMBER MOST ABOUT THEM. INDICATE THOSE YOU ARE ALREADY IN TOUCH WITH AND THOSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE CONTACT WITH.
I would like to make contact with Major Jan Joseph, who paid for my membership to the Women in Military Service Memorial (WIMSA since renamed Military Womens Memorial). I have been in touch with Luz McCurdy, a brief roommate, while I transitioned to retirement and had forwarded my family ahead to resettle. During our recent WAF Association reunion in Louisville, I discovered a fellow WAF, Sharon Page, that was in the same barracks as me at Barksdale. It took a while to narrow it down. She reminded me that my first experience as a dorm guard duty was the night that a male airman streaked through the first floor on a dare. I lost my virgin eyes.

CAN YOU RECOUNT A PARTICULAR INCIDENT FROM YOUR SERVICE, WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE BEEN FUNNY AT THE TIME, BUT STILL MAKES YOU LAUGH?
While deployed to Riyad, Saudi Arabia, there was a contest by Morale Welfare and Recreation (MWR) to guess the next rainfall. I wrote down my rotation date back to the states. I later learned that I won because there was a light rainfall. There was a T-Shirt for the prize, but I never saw it because I was already home. Others that were there from my unit later told me about the rain contest winner. It was ironic.

In basic, my roommate was a washout from a previous flight, making me feel nervous about my own completion. Should that happen to me, I wouldn't be able to go home for Christmas.

In the drill, we were lined up by height. Thus all the tall were at the head of the line. I'm only 5 feet tall, so I was selected to be the guide-on?a short guide-on at the front right to slow the pace. I could do no wrong as far as being in step.

After I retired, my sons both joined the Marines. They felt they'd be better than their AF parents, I guess. Well, one time, my son, Alan, was in Okinawa on a joint service exercise. He was lucky to meet up with his brother, Sean, who was permanently stationed there at the time. We were lucky to get a call from him in Japan. My husband and I were on the telephone. He explained how cold it was in the tent and that the AF participants were in a nice warm hotel. Apparently, he forgot while growing up that his parents were both in the Air Force. Oh, the branch of service rivalry! I was a very good encouraging mom at the time. I told him he'll be fine and home soon in a warm bed. After I hung up, I laughed. I told him that I thought it was safe years later, but he didn't recall the incident.

WHAT PROFESSION DID YOU FOLLOW AFTER YOUR MILITARY SERVICE AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOW? IF YOU ARE CURRENTLY SERVING, WHAT IS YOUR PRESENT OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY?

December 2013 Retirement Ceremony from the State of Illinois

After I got out of the service, I finished college and got a job as a programmer (Information Services Specialist) with the State of Illinois. I retired from that position on January 1, 2014. I now spend my time with the many veterans' organizations and as a tour guide at a local Lincoln Site here in Springfield, IL, as well as Civil War reenacting.

WHAT MILITARY ASSOCIATIONS ARE YOU A MEMBER OF, IF ANY? WHAT SPECIFIC BENEFITS DO YOU DERIVE FROM YOUR MEMBERSHIPS?
I have been a life member of the Air Force Sergeants Association since 1980.

I am a life member of the American Legion Post 759, VFW Post 755, AmVets Post 61, Women's Overseas Service League, WIMSA, WAF Association, and the Catholic War Veterans Post 1916.

IN WHAT WAYS HAS SERVING IN THE MILITARY INFLUENCED THE WAY YOU HAVE APPROACHED YOUR LIFE AND YOUR CAREER? WHAT DO YOU MISS MOST ABOUT YOUR TIME IN THE SERVICE?

TV Interview for Illinois Stories

Most of all, the military has kept me young at heart. It was an extension of high school with gym, study, prom, and organizations to join. The military taught me to value teamwork which I missed transitioning into a dog-eat-dog union environment. I value accountability and responsibility in a culture that seems to want to kick the can to the next in line. I see veterans will always be veterans and come together wherever they meet, but civilian retirees leave and literally leave coworkers behind them. I was part of a local segment on PBS's Illinois Stories about veterans and the New Berlin Veterans Memorial.

It's on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iqo31JhaMYU.

BASED ON YOUR OWN EXPERIENCES, WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO THOSE WHO HAVE RECENTLY JOINED THE AIR FORCE?

American Legion in Homecoming Parade 2014

Young veterans, Please don't let other veterans play a game that "my war era is better than your era". You signed a paper and swore to uphold the constitution just like they did. Those at the tail-end of the Cold War in 2002 ended up transitioning from peace to combat real quick. You can prove you mean to live your life as a veteran by participating in your American Legion, VFW, etc. Live the Veteran life. Don't just save it for a future obituary of VA benefit.

Your Comrade,
Rosemary Connolly, MSgt, USAF Ret.

IN WHAT WAYS HAS TOGETHERWESERVED.COM HELPED YOU REMEMBER YOUR MILITARY SERVICE AND THE FRIENDS YOU SERVED WITH.

Together We Served and Veteran Community

When I was a guardian for Honor Flight and interviewed a WWII veteran, Leonard Schwarz, in front of his family, I'll never forget the amazed and proud look on his grandson as this Navy veteran told his story. I hope TogetherWeServed has the same impact. Questions forced me to reflect like a military checklist.

Everyone was posting basic training flight photos, but I did not have one taken in December 1972 because the weather canceled our parade. I now regretted it.

KC 12.26.23