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2 • NOVEMBER 2020 - Senior Voice of Hernando County
She Served Her Country. Now, She Serves Her
By Megan Carella
Mary Ann Keckler spent three
years serving her country in
the U.S. Navy. Since then,
she’s devoted nearly 60 years
to serving her fellow veterans.
The 80-year-old Spring Hill
resident’s lifetime mission has
been to take care of veterans
and make sure they – and their
families – get the benefits,
support, and honor they
deserve.
During that time, she has
raised tens of thousands of
dollars to help families of
wounded veterans, served
as commander of American
Legion and Disabled
American Veterans (DAV)
posts, as state commander
of the DAV in Florida, and
as DAV commander for the
James A. Haley Veterans
Administration Hospital in
Tampa. She also is a mentor
Fellow Veterans.
for the Hernando County
Veteran’s Court.
And she’s not nearly done.
“Everything I do is to take
care of veterans. My phone
never stops ringing,” said
Mary Ann. “I’ve stuck my
foot in the door with every
entity I can to get information
and expertise to help
veterans.”
Mary Ann joined the Navy in
1959, after graduating from
high school in her hometown
of Milford, Connecticut.
“It was a time when women
had difficulty getting into
college and I didn’t just want
to work in a grocery store for
the rest of my life,” she said.
“I wanted to get away, do
something different and do
something for my country.”
She served in peace time,
from 1959-1962, working
in Maryland as an aide in
the Judge Advocate office,
helping to prepare court
martial briefs.
“It did my heart good to know continued, she started getting
that I was doing something –
even sitting at a desk– for my
country,” Mary Ann said. “It
made me feel great. I’m proud realized that veterans were not
that I wore that uniform.”
Although it was a time of
peace, the Vietnam War was
on the horizon.
“I can remember being in the
enlisted men’s club over the
July 4th weekend in 1961.
An announcement was made
over the PA system telling all
personnel to go back to their
barracks and start packing.
We were sending troops to
Vietnam,” she said.
After her service, Mary
Ann went home to Milford,
married, and had two children.
She would work in the
transportation industry for 27
years.
As the Vietnam War
involved in veterans groups
to support those who were
serving. That’s when she
being informed about benefits
available to them through the
federal and state government.
“Back in those days, veterans
generally didn’t know about
entitlements. Most people
thought things like the GI
Bill, VA loans, and the VA
itself were only available
for combat vets. And, even
though they were combat
vets, Vietnam Vets were not
allowed to get care in the VA
because it wasn’t considered a
KECKLER / Continued on page 3