Shauna Sorenson Jackson

I met my husband, Steve, while working for the Guard. He was a Cobra/Huey helicopter pilot, and we have been married for 23 years. We have 7 children in our "yours, mine, & ours" family and 18 grandchildren.

Remember the career mini-classes offered periodically at Olympus? Peggy Wheeler and I signed up for "Women in the Military" because it was the biggest joke we could think of and the least likely career to which either of us would aspire. My 30-year career was as a civilian employee of the U.S. Army (Utah Army National Guard). I retired in 2009. One of the coolest things I did while employed with the Guard was to hitch a ride on an Air Guard KC-135 for in-fight refueling of the Thunderbirds on their way to Florida for the Superbowl. I climbed into the cockpit and noticed that neither of the pilots had a single gray hair--they were just kids. I was pretty nervous. At the rear of the aircraft is a large window, and the smaller aircraft fly closely underneath the KC-135 and the fuel is dispensed while in flight.