“It’s not a man’s world,” Carol Kacal says.
The Air Force veteran has been breaking glass ceilings for decades.
For 20 years, Carol served her country. Her service included a six-month stint in Turkey, where she held a leadership role. She says meeting all the different people and making lasting friends was a favorite part of her service.
Since leaving active service, Carol has served as the first woman to hold the highest rank in both the Fairbanks, Alaska, Veterans of Foreign Wars post and the statewide VFW. She was post commander for Fairbanks and department commander for Alaska.
The Fairbanks resident grew up in a small town in Arkansas and couldn’t afford college. She wanted to see the world, and the Air Force seemed like a good fit. She signed up at 18 and got her wish.
Along with assignments stateside in Missouri, Arizona and Colorado, Carol served in Guam, Germany, Korea and Turkey before her last assignment in Alaska. She liked it so much that she stayed after putting in her 20 years.
Carol says one of her most interesting stops was in Turkey, where she oversaw supplies and equipment coming in and out of the country for the Army and Air Force.
“It was definitely an experience because women aren’t supposed to be in charge and have a voice there,” she says. “When I first got there, it took two or three weeks for the Turks to realize I was in charge.”
From then on, Carol had a good working relationship with the Turkish people. Still, she was advised not to go off base alone.
Men may be in charge off base in Turkey, but in the U.S. military, Carol says it’s important for women to consider themselves equals.
“Be ready to take orders, be a team player, pursue a college education while in and take advantage of the different opportunities provided,” is her advice for anyone considering serving in the military.
But Carol has specific words of wisdom for women.
“Females need to work alongside others, not behind or think they are better or worse,” she says. “The big thing is learning to be a team.”
This holds true in the military and out.
Carol earned the right to join the VFW while serving in Korea. In the past, many women veterans chose to join the women’s auxiliary instead of the VFW itself, even though they had served in the military. Now, not only are more women joining, but more are serving in leadership roles.
“Joining the VFW brings camaraderie among people who have been in military situations together,” Carol says. “We pull together and are able to stand up for veterans’ rights that we’re promised when we sign the dotted line.”
Carol serves as quartermaster for VFW Post 10029 in North Pole.
“I believe in helping the veterans and their families,” she says.
One thing Carol is always proud to do is ensure there are flag lines for soldiers to walk through when they return home. She says some people at airports seem to think they are blocking servicemen and women from seeing their families when they get off their planes, but that’s not the intent. Organizers want to ensure that when service members step into the airport returning from their stations, all they see is a wall of U.S. flags.
Life isn’t all about the VFW, though. Serving in accounting and budgeting in the Air Force prepared Carol for her current job as an accounting assistant at Design Alaska.
There were a few struggles when she first left the military, though. For one thing, deciding what to wear was a hassle after 20 years of wearing a uniform almost every day. Another was keeping track of time.
“Now I work on an hourly basis, not on call 24/7,” she says.
Veterans Day is special for Carol. She and her veteran husband of 19 years, David, work with a second grade class that holds a special program for veterans each year. They previously held the event at the VFW post, but it grew so large, they must hold it at the Moose Lodge in Fairbanks.
Last year, about 75 students performed a program for about 20 or 30 veterans, with parents and others in attendance. Recently, the students presented veterans with a flag with all their handprints on it.
Carol isn’t sure why there are so many women veterans in Alaska—it’s tied with Virginia for the greatest proportion—but she does know there are many dual-enrollment couples in the state, meaning both spouses served in the military.
Regardless, Carol loves calling Alaska home and enjoys camping with David and playing with their cat and dog. The couple have three children and six grandchildren. When she’s not outside, working or helping other people, Carol enjoys doing puzzles on her computer and encouraging other women to join VFW.
“You have that right just as much as (men) do to be a comrade,” she says. “We have served side by side.”