Officers

Born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, a true “Buckeye”! She is very proud of this fact, as she is also an alumna of The Ohio State University, College of Nursing. She graduated in 1995 and began her nursing career in March of 1996. Over the past twenty-six years, Janita has served in many areas of nursing and healthcare. One of those areas of nursing included the United State Air Force. Janita joined the Air Force in August 2001 as a single mother with three children and at the time of the Twin Towers and Pentagon attacks on September 11, 2001. Over the next thirteen years, she served at Langley Air Force Base, where she met her husband of 17 years. Larry, is a retired Lt. Col Intelligence Officer from the Air Force. After four years at Langley, she received orders to Ramstein Air Base, Germany where she served as a Flight Nurse. Janita earned one of the highest medals for an Aeromedical Evacuation Crewmember, the Air Medal. She earned this medal as a result of the number of missions flown in and out and over 300 flight hours to Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Israel, Kosovo, Germany, France, England, and multiple bases in the United States. After Janita completed her assignment at Ramstein in May 2008, she and her family moved to Cumming, GA. For the next five years she served as a Flight Nurse and as the Officer-in-Charge for the Medical Group’s Immunizations Clinic at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, GA. Janita obtained the rank of Major in 2010 and her Master’s degree in Nursing Education from North Georgia College and State University. In 2013, she went into IRR status with the Air Force Reserves. Janita and her husband joined the VFW Post 9143 in 2014 and then in 2015 selected to be the first “female” Service Officer. In 2016 both Janita and Larry, began participating as one of the Post’s Turkey Shoot volunteers and then two years later Janita and Larry became the Turkey Shoot coordinators & judges. Since that time, they have raised approximately $25,000.00 for the Post. In 2018, Janita was appointed as the Post’s Adjutant and currently remains in this position. In May of 2022, Janita had been nominated and elected Post 9143 Commander and is the Post’s first female Commander in the 75-year history of the Post.

Enlisted in August of 2007, reported to MCRD Paris Island. Marine Combat Training fallowed at Camp Giger, North Carolina. 4 months in Fort Lenard Wood, Missouri for Motor Vehicle Operator and Logistic Vehicle Systems Operator Courses. Reported to Camp Lejeune Feb. 14 to Combat Logistics Battalion 2, CLB2. Deployed to Al Asad Air Base, Al Anbar Providence, Iraq between September ’08 and April ‘09. Helping build and deploying with Combat Logistic Command 252, CLC 252, to Camp Leatherneck, Helmand Providence Afghanistan between September ’09 and March 2010, with company earning a Presidential Unit Citation. Promoted to Corporal 1 August, 2010. October of 2010 I was TAD to Fort Irwin, California to be trained as a Combat trainer, being one of the first 10 Marines to be a Certified Trainer With the Gold Miner Team, Combat Logistics, training CLB-6 to deploy to Afghanistan. Honorably discharged on 5 August, 2011. Employed with Cumming since 2014. Joined VFW Post 9143 in 2019, becoming a Life Member and Trustee in 2020, and Post Sr. Vice Commander in 2021 to current.

Staff Sergeant -- United States Army/ Ga Army National Guard -- 21 years BBA Degree -- North Ga College Military Occupational skills: 63B Light Wheel Vehicle Mechanic 63M Bradley Fighting Vehicle System Maintainer Military Awards: Bronze Star Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Armed Forces Reserve medal with "M" device, Combat Action Badge, Parachutist badge, Driver and Mechanic Badge w/ mechanic clasp and Iraq Campaign medal. Current Occupation: 24 years with Dekalb County Fire Rescue--Currently, a Fire Captain assigned to Fire Station 11 in Stone Mountain, Ga.

I started my career becoming a Marine in 1969, spent a full tour in Vietnam, when I got out of the service, I relocated to southern California where I met my wife Sharon, and we were married in 1974 it was there that I went to college, learned about computers, and became a Test Engineer working on Core memory systems for the US Navy. In 1980 I joined Pacific Bell as a Toll Test Board Technician and worked my way up to an IT Architect with AT&T. My division was sold to IBM, and I continued my career working up to become a Senior Certified IT Architect designing Computer systems for large companies. As part of this job, I was the Chief Engineer, responsible for computing resources for both North and South America for one of IBM’s larger clients. In 2015 I retired from IBM and all the travel that was required for the position I was in. I’ve been a member of VFW Post 9143 for over 12 years and have held many different positions within the Post, for 6 of out the last 7 years I have been the Post Quartermaster, and during a 3-year period I held a position as the Department of Georgia’s Employment chairman.