June wanted to enlist in the Army immediately after the United States entered World War II, but women were required to be 21 to enlist. As the eldest of seven children, she had plenty of leadership experience directing her six siblings on the chores on her parents’ small two-acre farm in rural, coal country, Norvelt, Pennsylvania. In 1940, June left home to find a job in Detroit. She rented a room from a local family and was hired as a milling machine operator at a manufacturing company making drill bits In December 1943, she returned to Norvelt to celebrate Christmas with her family and tell them she was going to enlist in the Army. Her mother accompanied June to her enlistment ceremony in Detroit on December 31, 1943. Why did June want to serve her country? June was and is a patriot. June reported to Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia for basic training and then to Army Air base Ellington Field, Houston, Texas where she was assigned to the base motor pool. Upon arrival, a sergeant pointed to a three-quarter ton truck on the tarmac and asked June if she could drive. June responded “Yes” while crossing her fingers behind her back. The sergeant instructed her to teach another WAC to drive the truck, telling them to drive around the 23,000-acre base and return when they both could drive. June completed the mission successfully, but when it was the other WAC’s turn behind the wheel of the stick shift truck, she drove into a ditch a mile from the motor pool, and had to walk back to the motor pool for assistance. But, by the end of the day, both WACs were competent drivers, and were assigned to deliver vehicles where needed. June was a “go-getter” and did not want to just sit around the motor pool waiting for a call to deliver a vehicle. Since all vehicles require service, mileage, and maintenance reports and more, June decided to learn all she could about those reporting and management responsibilities. When the sergeant in charge was assigned to foreign service, June stepped into his job. After a review, she was promoted to sergeant. June was the only female in the base motor pool to be promoted to sergeant during her tour of duty from May 1944 to December 1945. For her service to our country during, June was awarded the WWII Victory Medal, the American Theater Medal, and a Good Conduct Medal. June is 100 years young and resides in Santa Ana.