Veteran's Day Employee Highlights

Veterans Day is the national holiday recognizing those who have served in the military, aiding in the efforts to protect our country. The holiday is celebrated on November 11 each year, with the date originating from the formal end of World War I. To mark Veterans Day, we are sharing the experiences of three members of our Erie 1 BOCES team who have served in our nation’s armed forces, and continue to serve the students and schools in our community.

Name: Terry Ruh

Branch: Army Reserve

Time Served: 24 years

Role in the Military: Communications Radio Operator, Captain in the Medical Service Corps

Role with Erie 1 BOCES: Principal at Northtowns Academy

Terry Ruh joined the Army Reserve and worked in several different roles in his 24 years of service. As a communications radio operator, Ruh would help deploy field and support Army medical units. Working with the Medical Service Corps, Ruh was a part of a surgical team that worked with 768 trauma casualties and 230 surgeries. He was deployed three times both before and during his career at Erie 1 BOCES.

“The military has been a big part of my life, along with BOCES and my family,” Ruh said. “It’s really shaped who I am.”  

Ruh said success in the military is found in developing community and perseverance, a skill set that also applies to his work in education. Ruh has been working at Erie 1 BOCES for 23 years, and he saidthat the organization has always been supportive of his service, even when he was called up for deployments out of the country. Looking back on his career, Ruh said he wasn’t a hero.

“We just did our duty,” he said.

Ruh said he considers Veteran’s Day to be a time to reflect and remember the service of those who have served.

Name: Debra Lemke

Branch: Navy

Time Served: 3 years active, 3 years reserve

Role in the Military: Personnel Clerk 2nd Class

Role with Erie 1 BOCES: HR Coordinator

Debra Lemke said she was inspired to join the military because of her father, whose 22-year Air Force career included service during the Vietnam War. 

During her Navy career, Lemke worked in Virginia Beach, Va. as a personnel clerk. Lemke said her time in the Navy gave her great experience for her role with Erie 1 BOCES.

“I’m doing the same thing that I was doing then,” she said. “My service directly prepared me for my work here at Erie 1 BOCES, which I didn’t know at the time.”

Lemke said she considers Veterans Day to be an important opportunity to honor those who served our country, and that military service is something that should be recognized and celebrated every day.

Name: Darlynda Miktuk

Branch: Army, Army Reserves and National Guard

Time Served:  14 years

Role in the Military: Pharmacy Tech, Combat Medic and Security

Role with Erie 1 BOCES: TS Instructional Technology Resources and Professional Dev

Darlynda Miktuk’s time in the Army allowed her to work in a few different roles, including as apharmacy tech, a combat medic and in security. She recounted her service as giving her a new outlook on life.

“When someone has gone through something it allows you to see the bigger picture,” Miktuk said.

Miktuk characterized Veteran’s Day as being a day for others and not herself, but appreciates the acknowledgement of her and her fellow veterans’ service. She said that she was happy to come back and be recognized rather than looked down upon, something that veterans experienced in the past after returning from war.

“It’s a day of honor and honoring,” Miktuk said. “It’s a very serious job and not everyone makes it back.”

She also said that her changed outlook has helped her during her career at Erie 1 BOCES, and that she appreciates the support of her co-workers.

Are you a veteran at Erie 1 BOCES interested in being recognized? Fill out this Microsoft Form HERE and answer the questions listed!