Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Recent statistics from the Council on Foreign Relations, https://www.cfr.org/article/demographics-us-military, tell interesting facts about the United States armed services. Did you realize that military members make up approximately 0.5% of the population with women representing 20% of that calculation? Of the females serving our country, 18% are in the officer corps. Major Jaimie Laib, daughter of Jeannie Laib and graduate of the New Rockford Class of 2003, proudly falls into all three of these categories. As a member of the U.S. Air Force, Jaimie celebrated her promotion from Captain to the esteemed rank of Major with family, friends and dignitaries in Fargo on June 22, 2019.
During her 11-year career with the Air Force, Maj Laib has served in the duty stations of Langley Air Force Base in Virginia (2009-2014); Landstuhl, Germany (2014-2017); Bethesda, Maryland (2017-2018); and currently at Shaw AFB in South Carolina. Upon her return to the States after working abroad, Jaimie attended Uniformed Services University of Health Services (USUHS) in Bethesda to earn her Masters of Public Health degree. Last year she was assigned as the Shaw AFB Health Care Integrator where she is responsible to direct, plan, and implement optimal care to 40,000 U.S. service members and their families.
Originally thinking that political science or emergency management would be good paths of study at NDSU, Jaimie became heavily involved in the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC). Because the AFROTC offered Aerospace Studies, Jaimie considered becoming a pilot. Unfortunately, this goal was thwarted due to her vision not meeting the standard. Still wanting to undertake something that involved aircraft, she was advised to pursue flight nursing.
Her nursing career change prompted Jaimie to start a student chapter of Silver Wings. Not only was she president of the campus organization for two years, but she also was elected as the Region President to manage university chapters across seven states. After meeting with many influential military officials, Congressmen, and the only living Medal of Honor recipient at the time, Jaimie was convinced that military service was her calling.
Jaimie earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from NDSU in 2009. Upon commissioning, she spent time at Maxwell AFB in Alabama to attend Officer Training School.
Life-saving experiences are plentiful for Maj Laib. She is board certified in Medical/Surgical nursing. She has worked in pre- and postoperative nursing and has been the nurse manager of Internal Medicine at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. Maj Laib is also experienced in pediatrics and had the privilege of serving as the flight nurse for a very special pediatric cancer patient en route from Landstuhl to treatment at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.
In support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), the official name used by the U.S. government for the Global War on Terrorism, Maj Laib deployed with the 933rd Forward Surgical Team, an army team from Ft. Campbell, Ky. The squad was sent to a combat outpost in the northeastern region of Afghanistan to assist the field surgeon in stabilizing patients from point of injury until they could be flown to Craig Joint Theater Hospital in Bagram, Afghanistan.
How on Earth did a girl from a small community in rural North Dakota end up as an esteemed Major in the U.S. Air Force? As a child, Jaimie thought she wanted to have a career involving animals, perhaps a marine biologist at an aquarium. However, as many of us do, she changed her mind as she grew. "By the time I reached high school, I didn't want just a job. I wanted to be a part of something bigger, something that would make an impact on the world. It was then that I leaned toward military service," she relates.
High school activities and part-time jobs were important to this ambitious young woman. Jaimie was involved in band, choir, swing choir and track. Additionally, she took on the responsibilities of yearbook editor and teacher's aide while holding down several jobs outside of school. Jaimie says, "I started babysitting when I was 12! Working for six to seven families kept me busy all through high school." She worked for four years at the bakery (Penny's Pastries at the time) and four years at the restaurant then called Bill's Place.
Teachers, best friends Nadia (Aldayel) Anfinson and Virginia (Ritzke) Gramlow, employment supervisors, and even ladies from church were all so supportive of Jaimie's successes. She admits, "The small town feel was nice, but I felt the best opportunity to reach my potential was to get out and see the world." While living in Germany, Jaimie appreciated the healthy lifestyle and values that the Germans embraced.
Jaimie likes to come back to North Dakota to visit her grandmother Gertie Laib at least once a year. Now that she has completed her overseas tour, Jaimie is gratified that the trips back home are easier so that she can strengthen the already close relationship she shares with her grandmother. The two frequently write letters back and forth when they can't be together physically.
As Maj Laib continues her military service, she reflects on the dynamic words American motivational speaker Denis Waitley offers: "It's not who you are that holds you back; it's who you think you are not." Jaimie's road to where she is now has not been easy for her. She acknowledges that coming from a small town had its challenges and rising above the obstacles that presented themselves was difficult. Echoing Waitley's sentiments, Jaimie insists, "The best thing I can say to a person who has a dream he or she wishes to achieve is first to really want it. Don't settle. Go get it."
And "get it" she did! The community of New Rockford (especially Grandma Gertie) sends congratulations to Maj Jaimie Laib on her extraordinary accomplishments. She certainly sets an affirmative example for any student who yearns to be noted in a set of incredible statistics.
