Warrior of the Week - Capt. Anna B. Rehder

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. R. Michael Longoria
  • 319th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  Grand Forks Air Force Base's chief of Military Justice is from a very rural village in Illinois, which has a population of about 590 people.

Capt. Anna B. Rehder, 319th Air Refueling Wing Judge Advocate, was born and raised in Andover, Ill.

"It was a boring place to live but my dad was an exchange teacher so my family traveled a lot," said the hard-working country girl. "We got to spend time in countries all over the world. We even lived in Germany for a year. That was exciting."

Captain Rehder's family always made their way back to Illinois despite all the travel. After graduating high school, the captain went to St. Olaf College in Minnesota.

"I wanted to get out of my small town," she said. "I had played in some soccer tournaments there and I really liked the campus' atmosphere."

Captain Rehder graduated and took a year off before attending law school.

"I wanted to be a prosecutor since I was a little girl but I didn't have a plan on how I was going to make it happen," she said.

Armed with desire and a childhood dream, Captain Rehder applied for law school and was accepted at John Marshall Law School in Chicago.

"It was very stressful," said the huge Chicago Cubs fan. "Grades are even more important in law school."

As tough as it was, she did it. She finished law school but the hard part was still ahead of her; she had to find a job.

"I never thought I'd be in the military," said Captain Rehder. "I started researching it during law school. Surprisingly, the Air Force seemed to be a good fit for me."

Getting accepted in the Judge Advocate General Corps isn't as simple as signing up. Potential Air Force lawyers have to be accepted.

"I'm thankful everyday that the Air Force gave me the job," said the former Wrigley Field employee. "It truly is amazing."

Captain Rehder enjoys her job very much and spends a large amount of her time in the office.

"Work is a big part of my identity," she said. "It requires me to give a lot of my time. I'm here to advocate for people when they are having rough times and that's why I became a lawyer."

However, the Air Force has even given her opportunities outside of the legal arena. For example the opportunity to shoot an M-4 rifle.

"I held a rifle for the first time in my life during small arms training early this week," said the passionate volleyball enthusiast. "I was nervous and it took me forever to qualify."

As much time as she dedicates to work, she gives just as much time to her friends and family.

"My friends and family are everything to me," said Captain Rehder.