Members of the Junior American Citizens (JAC) club, sponsored locally by the Michael Trebert Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, were treated to the military experiences of three local veterans at their monthly club meeting in early November.

Susan Sorenson served as an U.S. Air Force nurse in locations around the globe, then continued in the nursing profession upon leaving the Air Force as a Lt. Colonel. Kathy Dobbins served as military police in the U.S. Army, then went on to serve as a county sheriff in San Diego, Calif., for 28 years. Dobbins’ mother and grandmother served in WWI and WWII, respectively, in the Army, but under other names since women at those times were not yet considered mainstream army personnel, DAR members said. Nancy Zimmerman served in military intelligence in Germany and other locations, and spoke of the degree to which the various branches of American military interacted and worked together unitedly. She is also chaplain for the American Legion in Sequim, whose meeting hall has been provided the Junior American Citizens as a meeting place.

JAC members were intrigued with the stories and were able to ask questions. Donnie Fors, 5, of Port Angeles, said, “I liked hearing about all the different things the military does, and I loved the story about grenades!”

His brother Henry, 7, who served as president for the meeting, impressed the guests with his abilities to lead.

“I liked meeting a real veteran, and hearing about the different jobs they had,” Henry Fors said.

JAC committee/DAR members in attendance were Lisa Anderson, who organized the meeting’s program; Kristine Konopaski, Marianne Burton, and Judy Tordini.

The goal of JAC clubs are “to teach … children some knowledge of the underlying principles of our government, of American sentiment, and of all that will go toward making them good citizens.”

For more about JAC membership for children pre-K through high school, contact JAC Co-chair Marianne Burton at mtc1918jac@gmail.com. There is no fee for membership.