The September Kosciusko County Veteran of the Month is Janna M. (Adair) Stollery. The Air Force veteran was recognized at the Kosciusko County Commissioners’ meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 13, at the Kosciusko County Courthouse’s Old Courtroom. From left: Kosciusko County Veteran Service Officer Darryl McDowell, Kosciusko County Commissioners’ Vice President Brad Jackson, Stollery, Kosciusko County Commissioner Bob Conley and Kosciusko County Commissioners’ President Cary Groninger. InkFreeNews photo by Leah Sander.

By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — Janna M. (Adair) Stollery is the September Kosciusko County Veteran of the Month.

U.S. Air Force veteran Stollery, of Milford, was honored at the Kosciusko County Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 13. She’s the fifth female veteran to be recognized since the program began and the third to be recognized this year.

Kosciusko County Veteran Service Officer Darryl McDowell presented her with a certificate and read biographical information on her, including the following.

She was born on Sept. 11, 1951, in Warsaw and raised in Syracuse by the late Robert E. and Helen C. Adair. Stollery was a member of the Wawasee High School Class of 1969, the first graduating class from that school.

She entered the service shortly after, in October 1969 in Indianapolis. Her basic training was completed at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. Stollery then headed to Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi to do administrative specialist technology training.

After finishing that, she worked for the USAF Postal and Courier Service in the mail distribution center at Keesler AFB.

Stollery would reenlist a number of times in the Air Force before her retirement as a master sergeant (E-7) in February 1990. While still in the service in May 1972, Stollery was chosen as the only administrative member to rewrite phase manuals and syllabi for several air platforms through the Instructional Systems Development Team.

In March 1974, Stollery, as a new staff sergeant (E-5), traveled to Keflavik, Iceland. She became the non-commissioned officer in charge of administration for the Chief of Supply of Air Forces Command, Iceland.

Stollery was chosen in May 1980 to be a technical sergeant (E-6) and go to the NCO Academy at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida. She finished in 1981, then becoming a student training advisor in the Special Duty Assignments Branch at Hurlburt Field in Florida.

She was chosen to be master sergeant in 1985, attending instructor training at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama. She then returned to Hurlburt Field to teach professional military education classes Leadership and Management, Communicative Skills, Drill and Ceremonies and World Affairs. She taught 10 classes annually to sergeants and staff sergeants.

In August 1988, Stollery was chosen as the first female commandant of the 23d Air Force Leadership School, her greatest achievement.

While completing all her military assignments, Stollery earned two Associate of Applied Science degrees from the Community College of the Air Force in administrative management and instructor technology. She also pursued a Bachelor of Applied Science in resource management from Troy State University before her military retirement in February 1990.

Following that, she stayed in Florida, finishing her bachelor’s degree and also getting a Master of Business Administration from Troy State University.

During her service, Stollery received the following awards: Meritorious Service Medal; Air Force Commendation Medal with four oak leaf clusters; National Defense Ribbon; Air Force Good Conduct Medal; and Air Force Overseas Ribbon.

Stollery would move back to Indiana in October 2013 to her home at Waubee Lake near Milford, which she purchased in 2007. She’s a member of American Legion Post 223 and Auxiliary in Syracuse, serving as post chaplain and an honor guard member.

In her spare time, she enjoys volunteering.

After Stollery was honored Tuesday, she mentioned that it was Chris Longenbaugh from the Syracuse American Legion who’d nominated her to be veteran of the month.

“I want to thank everyone for coming, thank Mr. McDowell,” she said. “I wasn’t real keen on (being recognized), but it’s an honor, and I’m very thankful to be here and to be back home.”