Salute to Veterans: She joined Army to ‘see the world’ and left 28 years later

Josi Fragnito has always liked the military. Since she was a Campfire Girl and later a Girl Scout, she has always admired the structure and discipline of the armed services.

This comfort with serving our country spanned 28 years; Fragnito retired in 2006 as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves and her active duty assignments of more than 8 1/2 years took her all over the world.

“I liked serving my country,” Fragnito said. The 68-year-old Merced woman has been a substitute teacher for three years in Delhi, Livingston, Planada, Atwater and Merced school districts, teaching kindergarten through high school students.

Fragnito stays busy “subbing” just about every day. Along with that she’s a member Merced’s American Legion Post 83 and is a member of the post’s color guard and honor guard. She also belongs to the Legion’s Auxiliary unit and is a lifetime member of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3057 in Washington.

Fragnito has no regrets about following her ex-husband into a military career. She said she didn’t experience gender discrimination as a female and said she was “pretty much one of the guys.”

“You have to work a little harder to compete for a command,” Fragnito said. “I was very much respected and accepted. I always felt I was doing good and I liked the camaraderie.”

Fragnito’s last duty station was Fort Irwin near Barstow where she trained National Guard personnel getting ready to deploy to Iraq about logistics. That involves making sure troops have all the materials they need to do their jobs, such as ammunition, properly maintained vehicles, clean clothes, food and toiletries.

“I joined the Army to see the world,” Fragnito said. For training she was sent to South Korea, Okinawa, Turkey, Germany and Belgium. She graduated from Sacred Heart Academy in 1964 in Missoula, Mont., and graduated in 1978 with a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Montana ROTC Department.

The military lifestyle rubbed off on her oldest son, Paul D. Hall, who is a captain in the Air Force, stationed at McChord Air Force Base in Washington state. Her youngest son teaches English in Macau, China.

Fragnito went to the Army’s Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., and qualified to be the general staff logistics officer for the 9th Division at Fort Lewis in Washington state.

When she’s not teaching or helping out at the American Legion, Fragnito is a member and volunteer at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Merced and belongs to the Italian Catholic Federation. She also is the Queen of the Le Grand Red Hat Tomates group.

This story was originally published November 10, 2014 at 4:00 PM with the headline "Salute to Veterans: She joined Army to ‘see the world’ and left 28 years later."