HONORING OUR VETERANS
When Laura Kennedy joined the U.S. Navy in 1980 as a cryptologist, her dad couldn’t believe she was getting paid to eavesdrop.
“I was often punished as a child for doing the very same thing!” recalls the retired senior chief, who now resides at the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Gulfport.
Now a mother of three and grandmother of five, Kennedy holds Veterans Day, observed on Nov. 11, as a day of reflection. The one thing all service members miss while away is their homeland, she says, and Old Glory connects them to where they came while reminding them of what they are fighting for.
Not a day goes by that I don’t hold my gaze on the old red, white and blue with goosebumps on my arms and tears in my eyes,” says Kennedy, who retired after 21 years of service.
“Not a day goes by that I don’t hold my gaze on the old red, white and blue with goosebumps on my arms and tears in my eyes,” says Kennedy, who retired after 21 years of service. “We meet so many and loose so many more in the defense of this country, and sometimes I wonder if only those of us that have served really understand the sacrifice.”
‘JOIN THE NAVY AND SEE THE WORLD’
The start of Kennedy’s military career can be traced back to a common occurrence — her siblings running late to pick her up. Raised with nine brothers, she couldn’t go anywhere without at least one in tow as a chaperone.
Fed up with waiting in the rain one day, she walked home in a huff.
“Along the way, I passed a window that said, “Join the Navy and see the world,” Kennedy recalls. “Thirty-six hours later, I was on a plane headed to Orlando for bootcamp. Little did I know I was going to have thousands of new brothers!”
Kennedy’s immediate family did not support her decision because they didn’t believe women belonged in the service, she says, and didn’t think she could succeed. Describing herself as “a bit of a mouse” before joining the Navy, she was very soft spoken and tried to stay in the background.
“My military experience taught me to enjoy meeting new people, speak out when needed and take pride in what I was doing professionally,” Kennedy says, “and it gave me a love for traveling to parts unknown and not being afraid to try new things from all kinds of cultures.”
Raising her family while on active duty posed challenges, but Kennedy’s friends and supportive military spouses pitched in when needed. Being a female during the first decade of her career also proved difficult — but being raised with all men gave her a head start.
“A lot of things changed for women in the military during my career, and new opportunities were opening everywhere,” Kennedy says. “My last 11 years, being a female really wasn’t an issue.”
REFLECTING WITH PRIDE, GRATITUDE
Kennedy’s military tenure took her everywhere from sunny Puerto Rico — her first duty station — to Okinawa, Spain, Italy, Germany and Australia. One of her most memorable experiences was standing on a German hillside as the Berlin Wall fell.
“How much I wished we had cell phones then to record it all,” she says, “but nothing could record the feeling in the air as the people crossed through the wall — first in fear, and then in joy.”
Post retirement, Kennedy worked in the financial industry before switching to program management in construction after 9-11. Several years later, she started her own business, working with existing and new business owners to create virtual companies.
Today, Kennedy reflects on her service with immense pride. Especially for those who don’t know what they want to do with their lives, she says a couple of years or more in the military can provide structure, direction and skills they wouldn’t readily acquire as a civilian.
“The world is so much bigger than many get to realize,” Kennedy exclaims, “and it’s full of adventures of all kinds.”