Following a nearly 30-year career in the U.S. Army Reserves, Lisa Spahr, daughter of Bob and Jackie Spahr, Chehalis, officially retired from her military career as a colonel at the end of last month.
“I served from Dec. 15, 1994, to Nov. 30, 2023,” Spahr said.
Her job in the Army Reserves was as an environmental science officer in the Medical Service Corps. She was a part of multiple units. While most of her career was spent in the reserves, Spahr was activated twice.
The first time was in 2003, when she was put in charge of a soldier-readiness processing medical clinic as part of the 7229th Medical Support Unit at Joint Base Lewis McChord (JBLM) after 9/11.
Then, in 2011, she was activated and assigned as the U.S. Army Reserve coordinator at the New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell, working with ROTC students. The New Mexico Military Institute is a public junior college and high school with a military academy-type program.
Aside from her active duty stints, Spahr also served as a commander of:
• the 898th Preventive Medicine Detachment in Fort Lawton in Seattle
• the 491st Area Support Medical Company of the 807th Medical Command in Santa Fe, New Mexico
• the 1972nd Combat Operational Stress Control unit at the 396th Combat Support Hospital at JBLM
• C Company, 3/414th Regiment, 8th Brigade, 104th Division out of Vancouver.
While now officially retired from the U.S. Army Reserves, Spahr resides in Oregon and works for the U.S. Forest Service as the safety and occupational health manager for the Pacific Northwest region.
