For many, service in the military is a usually a one-time experience, with most service members fulfilling just one contract and then returning to civilian life. Only an estimated 17% will serve 20 years, with people serving terms longer than that becoming exceedingly rare. And when considering that only 17% of the total military population is female — finding women who serve this long is even more rare.
The Michigan Army National Guard had two women set records for length of service in 2023.
Chief Warrant Officer 4 Lora Lingeman, the sustainment automation support management office chief at the Joint Force Headquarters in Lansing, is the first female serving in the state to have 40 years of total service as of September 2023. Master Sgt. Helen Miller, of JFHQ Public Affairs, will be the first female to have 40 years of service – all of it as a member the Michigan Army National Guard as of October 2023.
Like having a second family
Miller’s affiliation with the Army National Guard began before she was even in the military.
From ages 15 to 17, Miller spent time at the Michigan Army National Guard Armory in Adrian, Michigan, with the Boy Scouts of America. Miller had little way to know she would spend 20 more years at the armory, when it would become her first duty location.
Unsure if college was right for her, Miller joined the Michigan Army National Guard in 1983 while still a senior in high school. Joining the Army meant she would be following in the footsteps of her father and grandfather. Miller’s father is a Vietnam veteran and inspired a strong sense of duty and patriotism.
In the National Guard, Miller had found another home and loves the military life.
“I was very young, so the older soldiers in my unit looked after me and guided me,” said Miller. “It was like having a second family.”
After 19 years with the 156th Signal Battalion as a 72E (Telecommunications Center Operator), Miller put down the wires and picked up the camera to become a 25M (Multimedia Illustrator) and then later a 46S (Public Affairs Mass Communications Specialist). Miller has drilled with 46th Military Police Command since 2009 and deployed with them to Afghanistan in 2010. Since 2008, she has worked as a Title 32 federal technician in the Public Affairs Office at the JFHQ in Lansing.
“The rest is history,” said Miller.
Ready to get out on her own
Today, Lingeman serves in vital position as SASMO chief at the JFHQ in Lansing as a warrant officer, but her origins in the Army are far humbler.
Lingeman says her parents were willing to assist her with college but admits she was unsure about what she wanted to do. The military seemed to be one way to blaze her own path and was a family tradition. Lingeman’s father served in the Army while her uncles served in the Air Force and Marines.
“Joining the Army was a perfect opportunity at the time,” said Lingeman. “I was ready to get out on my own.”
Lingeman enlisted in the Army in 1984, serving as a 31M (Multi-channel Radio Operator) with Delta company, 11th Signal battalion, stationed at Kaiserslautern, Germany. Lingeman served just under four years and left the Army in December of 1986.
Four months later, Lingeman found herself working as a waitress in Greenville, Michigan, and missing the military lifestyle when she saw a group of soldiers came in for lunch.
“I was the easiest sell in the history of the National Guard,” said Lingeman. “I went to the Armory the next day and raised my right hand.”
Lingeman’s career in the Michigan Army National Guard began as a 31U (Radio Maintainer) and then reclassed to what was then a 76C, now 92A (Automated Logistical Specialists). Since then, she has deployed with the 1073rd Support Maintenance Company for Desert Storm and completed Warrant Officer Candidate School in 2000. Lingeman then worked at the JFHQ in Lansing at the USFPO Office as a federal technician. After nine years, she moved to the deputy chief of staff office, becoming the SASMO chief.
Sage advice
In the last 40 years, the American military has undergone numerous technological and tactical transformations, but few additions have seemed to have made as much impact as the addition of women. At first women played only restricted roles, but today they serve throughout the military, in all jobs and ranks. Not only have Lingeman and Miller witnessed the transformation first-hand but have been part of it.
“Well, I won’t lie at all when I say in the beginning women really had to work hard,” Miller said. “The saying was that you had to work twice as hard to be half as recognized.”
Miller added that women are now a much larger part of the military today, and their presence is much stronger now in leadership positions. She has even started a female mentorship group within her unit to help new female soldiers with sagely advice and guidance from seasoned female veterans.
When asked what advice they would give to women considering joining the military, Lingeman gave encouragement.
“Don’t just think about it, do it” said Lingeman! “I have found the door for opportunity is there if you have honesty, hard work, integrity, and enthusiasm.”
Miller was also supportive and encouraged others to make the most of the military. In addition to education benefits and leadership skills, she points out the benefits of the training, mentorship, and camaraderie.
“The military is a place like no other,” said Miller. “You can make a new friend and maybe the next time you run into them it will be halfway around the world. The Army really is a small world.”
Purpose and a passion
Performing any job for 40 years is no easy feat, so when asked about the secret to their career longevity, Lingeman and Miller expressed a common trait: a sense of purpose and a passion for helping others.
For Lingeman, her job allows her to help people at all stages of their Army experience.
“I really enjoy helping people,” said Lingeman. [I like] “being there when they deploy, being there if they need help while they are gone and being here when they come back home.”
Miller said that her love of the job stems from documenting the people she serves with and the history of the Michigan Army National Guard — adding that the public affairs office serves as more than just a liaison between the media and the military.
“I enjoy capturing memories that soldiers can share with their loved ones to help describe what they do for the Army,” said Miller. “A lot of people forget to take photographs or document their service, then when it’s time to retire, and they are looking for those memories, they call me.”
This story was written by Staff Sgt. Daniel Garas, Michigan National Guard Public Affairs
