Gifford’s high-flying years of service honored

Debbie Gifford, center, was honored July 1, 2026, at the Sacramento VA Medical Center, where her years of service in the U.S Army and the California National Guard were celebrated. She is holding a photo from those years. Fellow WL209 members, Sarom Teiv, left, and Maria Gomez, right, show support for their sister veteran. During the final years of the Cold War, Gifford, trained as a Russian linguist, flew on Huey and Blackhawk helicopters intercepting Soviet communications. In the California National Guard, Gifford retrained as a Chinook helicopter mechanic, logging 1,100 flight hours and becoming a flight engineer. For 16 years, she was the only woman on her air crew. She served on humanitarian missions in Panama and combat missions in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Debbie left the military in 2006 but continued to serve as a high school English teacher until 2025. Thank you for your service, Debbie!