VETERANS STILL LEADING
TThough it’s been 20 years since they served together, the general and her two chief master sergeants are close friends and look to each other for sup‐port as they continue lives of service in the civilian community.
Major General Rita Aragon recorded many firsts during her 27‐year career in the Air National Guard, and she had a dynamic impact on many who served with her. Two of those were Chief Master Sergeants Bonnie Terrill and Lucy Shoals.
Both women were promoted to the highest enlisted grade while serving with Aragon. Both have high praise for that time of service. Both refer to the general as “Wonder Woman,” a moniker used by many in her com‐mand. Both consider her a close friend and mentor.
“Working with general Aragon was always a pleasure,” Shoals said. “She arrives with enthusiasm and energy. She is truly deserving of the title ‘Wonder Woman.’ Always there to encourage, praise, assist and correct if necessary. Still today, she leads by example. She is a mentor and a person‐al friend.”
Shoals was recruiting and retention superintendent for the state of
Oklahoma, working directly for General Aragon. Terrill taught the Non Commissioned Officer Academy, a six‐week school required to be promoted.
Terrill echoed Shoals’ sentiments about General Aragon.
“Working with Maj. Gen. Aragon was always exciting because she carried enthusiasm to all the troops,” Terrill said. “I taught the Senior NCO Academy in the evenings and the general would always take the time to come to the class. She came to praise and encour‐age the airmen for the efforts they each put forth to accomplish the require‐ments to be promoted and to lead.
“Everyone knew who we were refer‐ring to when they fondly said ‘Wonder Woman’ would be here soon.
Throughout the enlisted and the officer corp she was known as ‘Wonder Woman’ and rightfully named. You always knew she had your back, so long as you were doing the right thing.”
Aragon had similar praise for Shoals and Terrill for both their military and civilian service. She said both filled key roles in her success.
“Bonnie is such a good people per‐son. Lucy was the great finance per‐
son,” Aragon said. “Bonnie is good at reading needs and translating them into action. When people had problems or concerns, she was good at meeting those needs.”
As part of their continued service, all three have volunteered as Guardians for Oklahoma Warriors Honor Flight, which recognizes Oklahoma veterans for their service by flying them to Washington, DC to see their memorials at no cost to them. Guardians are responsible for the well being of their assigned veteran for the entire day.
Aragon said Terrill and Shoals were the ones who invited her to join VillagesOKC. Now, she is a member of the VillagesOKC Advisory Council and receives high praise from Executive Director Marilyn Olson.
“Her advice to me to make sure ‘everyone knows the mission’ has been invaluable,” Olson said. “I appreciate General Aragon’s willingness to lead.”
Aragon said, “VillagesOKC has a great mission, and I’m impressed with how things are handled. Marilyn is very good at following through. I appreciate the larger mission of Villages OKC. For more, see Pages 4 & 5
Major General Rita Aragon, center, recorded many firsts during her 27-year career in the Air National Guard, and she had a dynamic impact on many who served with her. Two of those were Chief Master Sergeants Bonnie Terrill, left, and Lucy Shoals, right.
VETERANS STILL LEADING
Rita Aragon, 76, had an illustrious 27‐year career in the Oklahoma Air National Guard. She enlisted at the age of 30 and became a draftsman apprentice with the 219th Engineering Installation Squadron in Oklahoma City. She rose to the rank of Major General before retirement. Along the way, she recorded many “firsts.”
Aragon served as the first female gen‐eral officer, first female commander of the Oklahoma Air National Guard and first woman in the United States to com‐mand a state’s Air National Guard. She was selected as the first woman and fourth secretary of veterans affairs for the state of Oklahoma in 2010.
An award‐winning educator prior to joining the military to supplement her income as a single mother of two daugh‐ters, Aragon taught kindergarten through seventh grade before becoming an administrator in Oklahoma City’s public school system.
She was named Principal of the Year in 1988 and 1992 and the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce Excellent Educator of the Year in 1990.
She received her commission through the Academy of Military Science in Knoxville, Tenn., and returned to the 219th as an administrative officer.
For more, see Page 5
Bonnie Terrill, 73, served three years in the Army and 20 years in the Air National Guard. She enlisted in 1977 and retired in 2005. She was posted for one year with the Army in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, and for two years at Fort Hood, Texas. She spent all of her Air National Guard duty based in Oklahoma City.
While in the Air Guard, Terrill counseled service members on how to obtain an associates degree through the Community College of the Air Force. She also taught the Non Commissioned Officer Academy at night, a six week school required to be promoted. She was a human resource adviser and mentored troops in the overall benefits of being in the Air National Guard. She retired as a Chief Master Sergeant.
“They called me ‘Grandma’ in basic training because I was 26 and the oldest,” Terrill said. She consid‐ers one of her military highlights as flying in Huey helicopters. “The Commander assigned me to maintain the aviator's flight records. Night hours were required, and day hours were logged to meet proficiency.”
For more, see Page 5
Lucy Shoals, 65, spent 23 years in the National Guard, three with the Army National Guard and 20 with the Air National Guard. Her service extended from 1979 to 2002.
She joined the National Guard as a 17‐year‐old high school junior. She jokes that she joined with the hope of world travel, but her only travel the first three years was for annual training at Fort Chaffee in Arkansas.
After that, she did travel extensively with the Air Guard and continues to travel the world in retirement. Shoals said she had a very satisfying military career that saw her filling various roles with the Oklahoma Air National Guard.
“I am exceptionally proud that I joined the military and served our coun‐try,” Shoals said. “Going in at 17, the mil‐itary has been a part of my life so long that we’re intertwined. I’m not sure I know where the military ends and the civilian Lucy begins. It definitely was an eye‐opener as far as discipline.”
Shoals began her career as a photo‐journalist and retired as a Chief Master Sergeant serving as the Recruiting & Retention Superintendent for Head Quarters (HQ), Oklahoma Air National Guard.
For more, see Page 5
MAJ. GEN. RITA ARAGON CHIEF MASTER SGT. BONNIE TERRILL CHIEF MASTER SGT. LUCY SHOALS
ARAGON
In February 1989, Aragon became the first female commander in the Oklahoma Air National Guard when she assumed command of the 137th Services Flight at Will Rogers Air National Guard Base.
During her career she served two tours in the Pentagon – as assistant to the secretary of the Air Force for finan‐cial management and as assistant to the deputy chief of staff of the Air Force for manpower and personnel. She was the senior Air National Guard officer responsible for military and civilian personnel management, educa‐tion, training, and resource allocation.
Aragon was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 2016. She is also in the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame and the Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame.
She has been named Oklahoma’s Woman of the Year by The Journal Record, Oklahoma Woman Veteran of the Year by the War Veterans Commission of Oklahoma, and Diversity Journal’s 100 Women in America to Watch, Leadership Fellow at Oklahoma Christian University, and is the recipient of the Valley Forge Freedom Award.
She has a bachelor's degree in edu‐cation and a master's degree in guid‐ance and counseling, both from the University of Central Oklahoma
She currently serves on five boards: Force 50 Foundation, Four Star Leadership, Roger.Bank, Integris Health Partners and Honoring America’s Warriors.
TERRILL
In addition to her military service, Terrill retired after 21 years as a State Probation and Parole officer working in Logan County. She has a Masters in Criminal Justice from the University of Central Oklahoma.
“I loved working in the Justice sys‐tem,” Terrill said. “I supervised adults placed on probation and parolees who were released from incarceration. It was interesting, and I tried to do the
best to help all that I could, espe‐cially putting many people in treat‐ment for drug and alcohol rehabili‐tation.”
A VillagesOKC member for three years, she has been a leader since day one.
“She is a true leader,” said Membership Engagement Coordinator Caroline Baze. “She joined by taking The GIFT (Gathering Information for Transitions) workshop, and she immediately began investing her‐self and her skills into VillagesOKC.”
Terrill said, “What attracted me to VillagesOKC was the fun people who are so very competent and willing to help others. I knew we could work together to help others in our community.”
SHOALS
She joined the Air National Guard in 1982 as a Financial Services Specialist and worked as the Personnel Superintendent before becoming the Minority Officer Recruiter.
In 2000, she was appointed to the Department of Veteran Affairs Advisory Committee on Women Veterans where she served for three years. In addition to associate degrees in liberal arts and human resource management, Shoals has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Central Oklahoma.
In addition to being active in VillagesOKC veterans initiatives like the Vietnam War Era Commemoration, she has volun‐teered her time in such activities as the Oklahoma Warriors Honor Flight. She served as a Guardian on a flight in 2023.
“My heart swelled when I saw the police escorts in both Tulsa as well as Washington DC,” Shoals said. “The crowds were amazing as they cheered the veterans.
“That day, there was laughter and there were tears. On that day, we all stood taller.”
Speakers Bureau offers patriotic presentations
VillagesOKC Speakers Bureau has members available for presentations on a variety of topics appropriate for schools, churches, clubs and civic groups.
Some VillagesOKC members have presentations perfect for patriotic and veteran events. Former state representative and VillagesOKC member Gary Banz presents three powerful documentaries: “Skytrain,” “Just In Time” and “Uncommon Character,” all which he wrote and produced. Also available is his “Review of the Constitutional Tree” poster and
a card game, “Article V for You to Amend.”
VillagesOKC member Brig. Gen. Ben T. Robinson speaks with pride about the men and women he led as Wing Commander at Tinker AFB pro‑ tecting the nation during the attack on September 11, 2001. This presentation is titled “9/11‑ My Story.” Other presen‑ tations by General Robinson are: “Stories as a Veteran,” “The Oregon Trail (The Immigrant Trails),” “Building the American West,” “The Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum,” and “Cruising the American Rivers.”
Village Speakers share as a gift to the community; however, a contribution to VillagesOKC. org is suggested. Scheduling is available by contacting VillagesOKC or info@ VillagesOKC.org
VillagesOKC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a mission to empower adults to age with vitality and purpose by con‑ necting them to trusted organi‑ zations and resources. More information on VillagesOKC and the Veteran & Patriot Initiative is available at VillagesOKC.org or by calling (405) 990‑6637.
GENERAL’S LIFE IS FULL OF LEADERSHIP AND SERVICE
HHe flunked out of college in 1968 one year short of graduating and enlist‐ed in the Army to avoid the draft. In four years, he went from private to chief warrant officer and flew Chinook helicopters in Vietnam. After Vietnam, he accepted an Army college release and immediately joined the Air Force after graduating from college.
Thirty years later, he retired as com‐mander, 552nd Air Control Wing, Tinker Air Force Base with responsibili‐ty for approximately 3,600 men and women and resources which included 32 aircraft valued at nearly $9 billion.
Meet 77‐year‐old Ben T. Robinson, Brig. Gen., USAF, Retired.
He’s the docent of 10 years who gives colorful, informative tours at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. He’s the seasoned veteran who counsels government officials and gives guest lectures at colleges and uni‐
versities. You might also find him sitting with elementary students regaling them with stories of flight, including the homemade “airplanes” he and his brother built while growing up in New Mexico.
None of these seem like contradic‐tions to the General.
“I have 25 years of senior leadership experience; I have been on many high performing and successful boards; I am motivated by Servant Leadership,” Robinson said. “I think I’ve always maintained humility about being a gen‐eral and yet used it in ways that I could be of use to someone.”
Maybe that’s because he views his own successes as somewhat “miracu‐lous.” But, maybe it was more like per‐severance. He went back to college at Eastern New Mexico University on the college release program and finished on the dean’s list with a bachelor’s in industrial management. Within a month after joining the Air Force, he was in Officer Training School where he was selected for fixed‐wing jet pilot training. He went on to do graduate work at Central Michigan University and did a year fellowship at MIT.
When he retired in 2002, he was a command pilot with nearly 5,000 flying hours in the B‐1, B‐2, B‐52, CH‐3, CH‐47, E‐3, E‐8, TC‐18 and UH‐1 aircraft. He has logged flight time in over 15 dif‐ferent helicopter and fixed wing air‐craft.
He was wing commander of the AWACS Wing at Tinker on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001 – the 9/11 attack on America. He has the highest of praise for the “tenacity” of those who partici‐pated in the 9½ months of continuous flying and airplane deployments that took place to ensure America’s free‐dom.
“We were working 12‐hour days, seven days a week with no end in sight,” Robinson said. “And, people did‐n’t skip a beat. They came to work; they did their job; they were proud of what they did.
“I think that was the most rewarding
part, being able to be in command of an organization like that which could han‐dle that kind of stress and that kind of continuous work, and yet they did it with a smile on their face and happy to be there. You had to run them off at night.” His command also included 5 NATO aircraft and 245 NATO personnel. This was the first deployment of NATO forces in the history of NATO.
After retirement from the Air Force, Robinson was a Boeing executive, lead‐ing the Boeing Aerospace Operations site in Oklahoma City. He led the growth effort of Boeing from 2004‐2009 which resulted in Boeing being the largest and fastest growing aero‐space company in Oklahoma.
After retirement from Boeing in 2009, he founded and led Sentry One LLC, an aerospace consulting company with clients in Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico. Sentry One closed in 2019. At that time, he was appointed by Gov. Kevin Stitt to his cabinet as the secretary of military and veteran affairs. He left the cabinet in 2021 after 33 months.
Among many other community com‐mitments, Robinson is a member of the board of VillagesOKC, where he is active in helping develop the strategic plan.
“I believe seniors want to be active, continue to learn, have quality of life and quality of opportunity as well as be connected to faith‐based organiza‐tions,” Robinson said when he joined the board nearly two years ago.
“I believe VillagesOKC meets these needs.”
Robinson’s other current board memberships include NewView Oklahoma, Atec, Inc., Dale Graham Veteran Foundation, and Oklahoma Baptist University Engineer Advisory Board.
Brigadier General Ben T. Robinson: A veteran who is still leading.
Retired Brig. Gen. Ben T. Robinson serves on the board of VillagesOKC.
VETERANS HELPING THEIR COMMUNITIES
From privates to generals, VillagesOKC veterans continue to stand tall in our com‐munities providing leadership and giving time to individuals and local organizations. The VillagesOKC Veteran and Patriot Initiative works to honor veterans living in Oklahoma, seeks to promote pride in the flag and our constitutional republic, and identify places of service for VillagesOKC Veterans.
Decades ago, our VillagesOKC Veterans volunteered to serve in a myriad of vital positions throughout the world such as Korea, Vietnam, North Africa, and stateside. Each was clear on the mission and con‐tributed with honor when called. Today, they are still volunteering in their commu‐nities because helping others gives purpose and meaning to life.
Dual pinnings are planned in March
On Saturday, March 29, 2025, there will be morning and afternoon pin‐ning ceremonies to honor vet‐erans.
VillagesOKC is coor‐dinating a morning pin‐ning ceremony at the Oklahoma History Center to honor veterans who served during the Vietnam War Era in any service branch, anywhere in the world from February 1961 to May 1975. Working with VillagesOKC are the History Center staff along with Navigating Medicare, Oklahoma Warriors Honor Flight and Humana.
The afternoon veteran ceremony will be held at the Del City High School Performing Arts Center. The observance there will include a memorable pinning for seasoned veterans and also a powerful swearing‐in ceremony for new recruits joining various branches of the United States Armed Forces.
RETIRED TEACHER, LEGISLATOR LEADS VETERANS INITIATIVES
RRetired teacher, legislator leads vet‐erans initiatives
Gary W. Banz, 78, a long‐time educa‐tor and retired Oklahoma state repre‐sentative, served in the Army from 1968 to 1970 and the Army Reserve from 1982 to 1990. He now volunteers as the director of veteran and patriot initiatives for VillagesOKC.
Banz was drafted into the Army after graduating from Bethany Nazarene College (now Southern Nazarene University) with a bachelor’s degree in physical education. He served with the 38th Artillery Brigade headquartered at Osan AFB, South Korea, ending his active duty as a specialist 5th class (SP5).
“My deployment to the Republic of South Korea was difficult,” Banz said. “I had been married for 14 months prior
to being drafted. The assignment in Korea was a war of nerves, always anticipating an escalation. Three times during my time there we were placed on full combat alert due to incidents involving the North Koreans.”
Following his overseas assignment in South Korea, Banz returned to civil‐ian life in Oklahoma City. He earned a master’s degree in education from the University of Central Oklahoma in 1973. He retired in 1998 after a 28‐year public educator career as a teacher/ coach at three large schools.
After his election in 2004, Banz served 12 years in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. As a legislator, he held several leadership positions including majority whip, chairman of the Military and Veterans Affairs, House Rules and House Ethics Committees. The American Legislative Exchange Council named Banz national Legislator of the Year in 2013.
The Oklahoma Veterans Council hon‐ored Banz as their Representative of the Year in 2009. In 2016, the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) recognized Banz with their Guardian of Small Business Award.
From 2001 to 2004, Banz served on the Rose State College Board of Regents and was recognized with the Rose State College Tower Award in 2014. In 2007, he served on the Planning Committee that raised funding for the USS Oklahoma Memorial at Pearl Harbor. He later served as treasurer for the Friends of the Oklahoma History Center Foundation.
He received the Oklahoma Medal of Freedom from the National Guard Association of Oklahoma in 2014. He was presented the Douglas O. Dollar Distinguished Community Service Award for the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame in 2016.
He was honored by the Oklahoma City/County Historical Society with its Pathmaker Award in 2016.
Banz was co‐founder and executive director of Oklahoma Honor Flights (OHF) from 2009 to 2016. Serving as flight commander on 24 flights, he and
volunteers of OHF took 2,055 veterans from 226 Oklahoma communities to Washington, DC to see their memorials, courtesy of generous Oklahomans con‐tributing $2.5 million.
That effort led to the publishing of the documentary “Journey to Honor” in 2016 and a book he authored in 2017 titled Just in Time.
He is a lifetime member of Leadership Oklahoma (Class XVII) and a lifetime member of the Small College Basketball Association. Oklahoma Boys’ Basketball Coaches inducted Banz into its Hall of Fame in 2014. In 2024, he was named the Larry Smith Award win‐ner, presented to former small college basketball players who have used the game to learn and apply life lessons that have impacted their life while also giving back to impact the lives of oth‐ers. He was a member of the first inter‐collegiate basketball team at Bethany Nazarene College in the school year 1964‐65.
As owner/operator of GLM3 Productions LLC, Banz markets prod‐ucts that promote a Constitutional Tree poster, Article V card game, patriotic and veteran challenge coins, and docu‐mentaries he has produced.
“Uncommon Character – the Legacy of James Robert Kalsu” is a film about Kalsu, a stand‐out student and Del City High School football star, an All‐American at the University of Oklahoma, and Rookie of the Year for the Buffalo Bills, who became the only active professional athlete killed in action in the Vietnam War.
“Skytrain: The pilot, the paratroop‐er, and the plane that brought them together” uses a Douglas C‐47 "Skytrain" built in Oklahoma City in 1944 to tell the story of Tinker Air Force Base and the importance of avia‐tion and the mili‐tary in Oklahoma.
Gary W. Banz speaks at a Vietnam War era veterans recognition and pinning ceremony.
