Veterans Voice: Woman veteran of the year continues to serve her colleagues
Correction: An earlier version of this story had an incorrect year for Levasseur's deployment to the Persian Gulf, and also an incorrect spelling of her daughter's first name.
On Thursday, the Veterans Administration’s Providence regional office named Lisa Levasseur of Cumberland its fifth Woman Veteran of the Year.
Levasseur served in the Air Force for 29 years, and has continued her service to the veteran community as head of Rhode Island College’s military and veteran programs.
E.J. McQuade, director of the Providence regional office, explained that the award is one way the VA is trying to increase its ties with the community, as well as acknowledge the special challenges facing women who have served.
“Women veterans are the fastest-growing veteran population and have been for close to 10 years now,” he said.
McQuade acknowledged that in the past, “Women’s needs were not necessarily factored into some of the decision-making regarding medical resources and benefits eligibility.
“However, in the past 10 years, that has changed significantly. Legislation has been passed to address illnesses and disabilities that are specific to women veterans,” he added.
“So that has been a drastic change for the VA. And we here in Rhode Island are proud to champion that. One of the ways we do that is by annually recognizing a woman veteran.”
From 2018: Rhonda Ziehl, the first RI Woman Veteran of the Year honored by Providence VA
Lisa Levasseur joined up while still in high school
Lisa Levasseur signed up for the Air Force when she was a 17-year-old senior at Woonsocket High School in 1990. She was curious about the world but unsure what would happen after she graduated, since higher education had not been the tradition in her family. She also had no idea how she might pay for college.
One day an Air Force recruiter came to school, and Levasseur was intrigued by the possibilities of a new journey.
She served for the next 29 years, including a deployment to the Persian Gulf in 1993 as a communications operator, a flight crew member of an Airborne Warning And Control System (AWACS) aircraft. Mounted in a specially modified Boeing 707, this system provides long-range radar surveillance and a control center for air defense.
“We used to spend 12, 15, 18 hours flying around ‘burning a hole in the sky’ as we called it, being the giant eyeball for fighters whose range and visibility was only a fraction of ours,” Levasseur said.
When her tour of active duty was complete she accepted a friend’s invitation to come to Alaska (which probably sounded good after a tour in the desert). She joined a unit of the 176th Airlift Wing of the Alaska Air Guard, flying as a communications technician aboard a KC-135 search and rescue aircraft.
Levasseur returned to Rhode Island in 1995 and continued her service, joining the Air National Guard while she worked for Putnam investments as a client service representative and an operations supervisor.
This time she qualified as an emergency medical technician. She eventually transitioned into the recruiting and retention field, and in 2003 came back into the Guard full-time.
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Career change after retiring from the Air Force
After 29 years of service, she decided to retire from the Air Force. In recent years she also served as educational liaison for the Guard, advising soldiers about educational benefits and programs available through the VA and other organizations.
Along the way she earned a bachelor of science degree in public administration from Roger Williams University, mostly from night school.
She retired as a master sergeant in 2020.
Even with all her experience and translatable skills, however, she re-entered the civilian world with some trepidation.
Enter Micaela Black of the VA, who knew of a job opening at Rhode Island College. Black recommended that Levasseur lead the college’s Military Resource Center.
Right at the time Levasseur was hired, the COVID-19 pandemic closed the campus. This meant she was starting a new job from home, without any network of support and faced with the challenge of helping veteran students transition to online learning.
Alex Ortiz is president of RIC’s Student Veterans Organization. In an article about the Military Resource Center published on the college website last fall, Ortiz said, “Lisa is the Military Resource Center’s greatest asset. … She was working from home and didn’t know anyone on campus, yet she managed to get me enrolled in school three days before classes started. In the military, you have to be effective and proficient at what you do. Lisa encompasses that and she does it with very few resources.”
“I worked from home the first 18 months,” Levasseur said. “There I was in a new job in a new industry [higher academics] and I had to jumpstart the entire experience from my own dining room.
“This past semester was the first time I was able to enjoy an on-campus, in-office work experience.”
Nevertheless, Levasseur’s knowledge of VA and college benefits helped student veterans transition not only to college life but to civilian life.
Rhode Island College’s office of admissions notifies Levasseur when it identifies a military connection with a newly admitted student.
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“Student veterans don’t look like your traditional student,” she told RIC writer-editor Gita Brown in an interview for a campus publication in November. “They tend to be older students, commuter students. Many of them have families. They might have part-time or full-time jobs while trying to be full-time students. They sit in classrooms with 18- to 23-year-old students when their average age is 30. I don’t want them to get lost, give up or quit.”
One of the tools at her disposal is the Military Resource Center, an inviting oasis where student veterans can chill between classes, enjoying some downtime with peers who understand their unique issues.
While there, veterans can ask Levasseur about GI Bill benefits, and all other programs and services available to them. Through the center, she offers outings and activities to help the student veterans bond with others with shared experiences.
They’ve thrown axes together at the Axe Bar, hiked Purgatory Chasm and attended the WaterFire Salute to Veterans.
As her award announcement cites, “Lisa embodies the attributes of a Veteran who has consciously made the decision to continue their service out of uniform by serving other veterans.”
In her remarks, she acknowledged the contributions of all other women veterans. “I’m representing all of you as I accept this award,” she concluded.
Levasseur is quick to credit her family support system for enabling her to pursue her Air Force career, and for helping with her transition to civilian life.
Her mother, Connie, and her sister Sue Turcotte attended the award ceremony, along with Lisa’s long-time partner Steve Croce (who is still serving in the Air Guard). They have a 10-year-old daughter, Addyson.
Calendar of events
Friday, 7 p.m., Rhode Island Philharmonic Youth Ensemble spring concert, honoring the 29 Rhode Island soldiers who have given their lives for our country since 9/11. Scituate High School, 94 Trimtown Rd., North Scituate. Free admission. Contact music director David Neves, dneves@ri-philharomonic.org.
May 14, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., veterans expo at at Pierce Memorial Stadium, East Providence. Sponsored by East Providence Elks Lodge #2337. Life and living assistance. Free lunch for veterans. Backpack with hygiene products, tent and sleeping bag available for those in need. Rain or shine. (401) 434-8565.
May 15, 3 p.m., Lafayette Band of North Kingstown presents Armed Forces Salute, a free concert to honor those who have served in the military. St. Bernard Church, 275 Tower Hill Rd., North Kingstown. Program consists of patriotic favorites, Broadway tunes, and big band and swing music. Free admission; voluntary donations at the door to benefit Providence VA Medical Center Voluntary Services Office and the band's free community concert program. For more information visit lafayettebandri.org or contact Mike Dynon, (401) 480-3520; mdynon12@gmail.com.
May 19, 5:30 p.m., Providence Vet Center starting a woodworking class at 2038 Warwick Ave., Warwick. Vet Center will also be offering a veterans dive group starting at 8 a.m. June 18 at Fort Wetherill in Jamestown. Vet Center eligibility is required to attend these classes. Contact Paul Santilli, Paul.Santilli@va.gov, or (401) 739-0167.
May 19, 8:30 a.m., Sgt. Adam S. DeCiccio Warwick Memorial VFW Post 272 golf tournament at Cranston Country Club. Shotgun start; $130 per player; individual – Callaway system; foursome, scramble, low gross. Raymond Denisewich, co-chairman (401) 644-8066, raymond.denisewich@gmail.com
May 20, 7:30 a.m., CSM Edward McConnell golf tournament, presented by the Military Police Regimental Association, Rhode Island Chapter, Triggs Memorial Golf Course, 1533 Chalkstone Ave., Providence. Tickets and information, mprari.org/events-1/mpra-ri-2022-csm-edward-mcconnell-annual-golf-tournament
June 18, 9 a.m., Learn to fly-fish, Deer Creek Farm, Foster, sponsored by Dare to Dream Ranch and DEM‘s aquatic resource education office. One-day course for veterans and families. All tying materials and fishing equipment provided. To register call Cyndi at (401) 871-2332; leave your name, phone number, email and how many people you are registering.
To report the outcome of a previous activity, or add a future event to our calendar, email the details (including a contact name and phone number/email address) to veteranscolumn@ providencejournal. com
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Veterans Voice: Woman Veteran of the Year continues to serve her colleagues
