Honoring Veterans A few weeks later, he received a letter from a recruiter citing his success on the test and suggesting that he consider a career in the Air Force. Career Decisions “When we talked, I told him I was more interested in firefighting and he told me that they have firefighters in the military,” Latona said. “I thought about it and decided to enlist.” Meanwhile, down in Florida, Nollman eventually adjusted to being away from Clifton. “I met new friends and life went on,” she said. During her junior year at CHS, she helped lead her softball team to a state championship, playing shortstop in the team’s first year of fast pitch competition. She also played volleyball and basketball in school. While her softball coach tried to convince her she stood a good chance of getting an athletic scholarship, Nollman doubted it. “Even if I did, I had no idea what I wanted to study in college and I didn’t think I’d be able to handle college and playing a sport,” she said. During the winter of her senior year a family friend mentioned the Air Force to her, so she decided to check it out.
“My mom hesitantly took me to the recruiting office and I decided to sign up in what they call the delayed recruitment program,” she said. “I raised my hand and took the oath before I even graduated from high school.” Nollman said she looked at it as an opportunity to do something different and travel the world. She also liked the fact that she could receive tuition assistance and pay for college classes while on active duty. She was supposed to report for basic training in August 1992, but she asked for a delay because her summer softball team had made it to the Big League World Series and she didn’t want to miss it. “My recruiter worked it out where I could go in September instead, which was great,” she said. And, the one month extension of her enlistment ironically coincided with the same week that Latona was scheduled to report for training. Fate’s Timely Twists A mutual friend had mentioned to Nollman before she left that Latona had also enlisted in the Air Force and was going to basic training around the same time.
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