Military service is becoming a tradition in the Grusnick family.
After spending more than 20 years in the United States Air Force, Major Carl Grusnick is proud to be serving with his daughter, Sabina, a 2005 Oxford High graduate.
‘We were really pleased,? Carl said. ‘It’s a great opportunity for a young person, especially a young lady. It opens up doors.?
Sabina, an Air Force cadet participating in the Reserve Officers? Training Corps (ROTC) while attending Michigan State University, recently completed her 28 days of field training (or ‘boot camp?) at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota.
There she underwent intense physical conditioning, took part in leadership exercises and ‘got yelled at a lot.?
‘It’s you’re basic welcome to the real Air Force,? said Carl, a 1974 OHS graduate and program manager at the General Motors Tech Center in Warren.
Sabina joined ROTC her freshman year at MSU following a visit to the Air Force Academy in Colorado.
Prior to that visit, Sabina admitted she was never really interested in joining the military while growing up and resisted the idea whenever her father suggested it.
Now, she loves the ROTC experience and looks forward to entering the Air Force as a second lieutenant upon her graduation from MSU with a business degree in 2009.
Sabina particularly enjoys the camaraderie and teamwork in her ROTC detachment.
‘Everyone at MSU’s really close. We all help each other out,? she said. ‘We all work together and that’s what I like. I’m a team player.?
The only thing she’s not fond of is the early starts.
‘My least favorite thing would probably be waking up at 5:30 a.m. pretty much every morning to go work out,? Sabina said.
Balancing ROTC and a full load of college classes can be difficult at first, but it gets easier, according to Sabina, who will begin her junior year this fall.
Fortunately, the ROTC always stresses the importance of education and won’t let students fall behind.
‘They always want you to do ‘They always want you to do well in school,? Sabina said. ‘It’s school first, ROTC second.?
Following college, Sabina will spend at least four years in the Air Force on active duty. She hopes to work in either intelligence, logistics or public affairs.
Public affairs, a blend of media and community relations and internal communications, is where Carl has worked in the Air Force Reserve since 1991.
He’s currently assigned to the Air Education and Training Command headquarters at Randolph Air Force Base near San Antonio, Texas.
Carl said the Air Force is the perfect environment for a goal-oriented young woman, such as his daughter, to build a successful future.
‘In the Air Force basically everything’s wide open. and the women are getting promoted,? he said. ‘Those glass ceilings are shattering.?
‘In the old days, it was really stratified,? Carl explained. ‘Women were limited to a narrow band of duties ? clerks typists, very little else. Now, all the career fields are open to them. They’re not restricted from any duty anymore.?
Sabina likes the fact that Air Force gives her plenty of opportunities to show ‘girls are just as good as guys.?
When her ROTC detachment takes its annual trip to the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center, Sabina said everyone is treated as equals. ‘I shoot M-16s just like the guys do,? she said. ‘No one babys you.?
Sabina’s not sure if the Air Force is going to be her career or just a starting point on her path toward working for a Fortune 500 company. The professionalism, skills and discipline learned in the Air Force would serve her well in the corporate world.
She’s also excited about the prospect of the military giving her the chance to travel to places like Germany, Alaska and Hawaii.
The service did a lot for Carl, who originally enlisted in the late 1970s as an Airman Basic with the military police. He’s looking forward to it doing even more for his daughter, who will begin her career as an officer.
‘It really opened up my world as to what’s achievable and what’s out there,? he explained. ‘Her world’s going to be much larger. She has many more choices than even I did.?
The Air Force will allow Sabina to ‘break the mold,? according to Carl, and make her world her own