COLUMBUS, Ohio — Rain is sprinkling onto the screen of U.S. Marine Corps veteran Diana Braxton’s phone, as she holds it up to proudly to display a photo.

“This is Diana Lynn Braxton,” she said, matching the smile in the photo of her younger self.

“I was 27 when I went in,” she says. “I was not 17 or 18. I was 27. I’d done a lot before. I was tired of doing all I was doing. So, I decided to join the military.”

Braxton said the U.S. Marine Corps gave her discipline and opportunity.

“I got to travel. You know, I got to go to Korea, Sweden, East Coast, West Coast, meet all kind of different people. You know, it was just a wonderful experience," Braxon said.

That experience moved her into another male-dominated field.

“After I got out of the military, I became a truck driver for 21 years,

See Full Page