Staff photo / Bob Coupland Edna Douglas of Warren, right, discusses her military experience in the Air Force Reserve, as Laura Baugh Miller of Warren, who served in the Air Force, listens. They were among a panel of eight African American women veterans from the area who shared their stories Monday at a Black History panel discussion at the Trumbull County Veterans Service Commission in Warren. The event was hosted by the Warren Heritage Center. A second panel discussion at 6 p.m. today will feature African American men veterans.

WARREN — African-American women veterans shared their stories of serving the country as part of a panel discussion Monday at the Trumbull County Veterans Service Commission.

The program was hosted by the Warren Heritage Center with another program at 6 p.m. today featuring African-American men veterans.

Eight local veterans responded to a variety of questions, including why they joined the military, what challenges they faced and how it benefited their lives.

Garrick Matlock, vice president of the Warren Heritage Center board of directors, said the veterans all have done wonderful things serving our country and their accomplishments often are in the shadows.

“Tonight the light is shining on them. Take their stories with you. What we do is collect and preserve their stories because we do not want to lose them,” Matlock said.

Helen Rucker, a Warren councilwoman and a member of the Warren Heritage Center, asked the panel how each veteran’s life was changed by serving in the military. She said it is important that the women veterans’ stories be told.

Rucker said there are displays of the accomplishments of local African American residents at the Kinsman House in downtown Warren, where the Warren Heritage Center is located.

Rondalee Fowlis Ausmer of Warren said when she joined the Army and later became a staff sergeant, she and other women had to make an adjustment getting their hair shortened by keeping it pinned off the shoulder and in their helmet.

“It was an adjustment but that was what we had to do to be in compliance,” Fowlis Ausmer said.

She said after graduating from Warren Western Reserve High School in 1977, she joined the Army as an opportunity to leave Warren and see other parts of the world.

Edna Douglas of Warren, who served in the Air Force Reserve, said to get through eight weeks of basic training, she had to comb her hair back or hold it and deal with temperatures of 100 degrees.

“It was all about surviving and getting through those eight weeks. Taking care of your hair was not a number one priority,” Douglas said.

She said her older brothers encouraged her to join the military and see the world. She ended up going to Italy and Germany.

“I tell people to go into the Reserve because you will have many opportunities. The Air Force took care of us. It was about getting your education,” Douglas said.

Joyce Jones of Warren, who served in the Army, said, “it was the best thing I ever did in my life.”

Jones was a foot soldier and got into the mud.

“I felt a real sense of accomplishment. My dad served in World War II. I wanted to make my dad proud of me. It taught me discipline and relating to others and looking out for each other,” Jones said.

She said the military helped her get a job and now that she is in her 70s, the military covers her medical expenses

Laura Baugh Miller of Warren said she was attending the University of Cincinnati studying communications, struggling with her senior classes and struggling to pay for college when she joined the Air Force and found it offered many opportunities and benefits, including finishing college.

“My first duty station was in Montgomery, Alabama, which frightened my parents who remembered the old south. I told them things had changed there and I would be okay,” Baugh Miller said.

She said her relatives had served in the military and her family was “a patriotic family,” which was why she joined.

“It was the best experience of my life. I had a good sergeant and I was able to finish my college degree,” she said.

Baugh Miller said when she left the military, an advantage was that veterans were given points for their service when applying for jobs.

Chantell Harris of Warren joined the U.S. Navy after previously studying to be a nurse and working at a nursing home. She said she joined the Navy to get outside of Warren and better her life.

Rhonda Saunders of Warren said she wanted to be a nurse, but decided to join the Air Force.

She said when she served, women were a small percentage of the Air Force but there was a sisterhood and camaraderie where everyone bonded and worked together.

Monica Gattison of Warren said she was inspired by the military commercials she saw on television and joined the Army.

“When I saw those commercials I told myself I can do that. I was 17 when I signed up and had to get my parents’ permission. My dad signed the paperwork, but my mother was hesitant,” she said.

Gattison said it was the best decision she made and found the military is a totally different world from the real world, noting all the teamwork that takes place.

She said wherever she went while serving she was encouraged and helped by others.

Gattison said she made many friends in the military.

Theresa Carter of Warren, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps, said she was the youngest of nine children and had other family members who joined the military. She considered the Air Force, but then went into the Marine Corps.

She said the military experience prepared her for her work at the Trumbull Correctional Institution, a prison in Leavittsburg.