by Nick Dill, Student Reporter
The insignia of the 325th Medical Group is shown in this photo.
Northwestern Oklahoma State University has two female faculty members who are veterans.
Sadie Bier, comptroller at Northwestern, served in the Oklahoma National Guard. She was in the Brigade Special Troops Battalion, based out of Norman, and they were the Thunderbirds. Bier served for six years from 2007 to 2013.
Bier said she always wanted to join the military.
“I always wanted to join when I was in high school, but I didn’t,” Bier said. “My senior year of high school, I met my husband, and he had just got back from his first deployment in Iraq.
“I was hanging out with all his military buddies, and they were based out of here in Alva. Being around them all the time kind of made me take the plunge, and my really good friend joined the military police unit out of – at that time, it was Kingfisher. After she had gone through, she kind of sparked my interest again. Everybody told me I couldn’t do it, so I had to do it.”
Bier said Veterans Day, celebrated annually on Nov. 11, means a lot to her.
“I’ve lost several friends through PTSD from our deployment with suicide,” Bier said. “To me, it’s a way we can honor them and the living. I don’t
expect anything for myself, but for those that fought in World War II and Vietnam, it’s a way we can honor them for the sacrifices they gave up.
They gave up their family and normalcy.”
Bier said veterans face challenges when their deployments end.
“There is a different kind of struggle when you come home, especially for those types of wars,” she said. “My deployment wasn’t half as bad as some people have gone through. I think everyone should respect it and, if you see a veteran, tell them ‘Thank you.’ The elderly did so much, and I want them to feel good.”
She said her favorite part about Veterans Day is celebrating American pride. Students at the local middle school do a great job of honoring veterans with an annual assembly, she said. Students write a report about the holiday, and they interview local veterans.
Bier said she participates in the Veterans Day events that are hosted around town. She said she has been invited to eat lunch with students at the school on Veterans Day.
Shannon Leaper, director of library services at Northwestern, served in the Air Force from 1995 to 2004.
For a time, she was in the 325th Medical Command Group at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida.
Leaper said she joined the military because it provided her with money for college and gave her the opportunity to travel. She said serving in the military provided training for her career because everyone goes through technical training for some type of job.
She said Veterans Day is an opportunity to thank individuals who have served and are still serving.
Both women said they were not discriminated against because of their gender.
“For the most part, it was the same,” Bier said. “We kept up with [men], and we did just as well as they did, and some of our females did better than some of those males. My unit was very good and very equal. We had female squad leaders and a couple of female platoon sergeants. My experience was very good.”
Leaper agreed, saying she never felt like she was treated differently.
“I worked with a wonderful group of individuals in several different places, and I never felt like there wasn’t an opportunity for me to excel and for me to grow as both a person and a military member,” Leaper said. “I never felt singled out because I was a female.”