Monica Ceruti

My father was a World War II veteran and career Navy. I, as a military dependent, moved a lot and travelled extensively throughout the United States with my family. In my travels, I attended two different elementary schools, one in New Orleans and one in North Quincy, Massachusetts. I attended four different high schools in four different states, ultimately graduating from high school in Jacksonville, Florida. Until junior high school, the parents of most of the kids I knew were also in the military, so we were all moving every two to three years, losing contact with old friends, and making new ones. I am actually grateful for the constant moving because it exposed me to really good schools and teachers, a diverse group of people, many cultures, and places. In all of my travels, I was always comforted by my mother, a stay at home mom whose life revolved around her children. Over the course of my educational travels, and my constant moving, I developed a love of reading, math and traveling. I did really well in mathematics, even in college, but reading was my first love. I loved it then, and to this day, I still love reading. So, in college I sought a major which required lots of reading, and I majored in history. My degree in history was also just a means to a degree, for I was a huge fan of Perry Mason and always knew I wanted to be a lawyer. I admired my father tremendously and wanted to be just like him. Chasing after a military career to follow in the footsteps of my father, in 1977, I joined the Air Force ROTC Program at Grambling State University. There weren’t many women joining the military in the 1970s, but my parents told me I could be anything I wanted to be and fully supported my decision. Upon graduating, I was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the Air Force. I am really proud that my father and mother, both of whom were older parents, pinned my 2nd Lieutenant bars on my shoulders. The Air Force was gracious enough to grant me an educational delay so that I could attend law school at the University of Georgia. Upon graduating, I served four years on active duty as an Air Force Judge Advocate General (JAG). I left active duty and joined the Air Force Reserves, spending 26 years as a member of the Air Force JAG Corps Reserves (AFJAGCR). I retired from the Air Force after 30 years of military service, as the first African-American woman to earn the rank of Colonel in the AFJAGCR. During my military career, I lived and was assigned to really great locations; notably, I spent