Today’s Star Spangled Salute honors Kansas Army Veteran Brandy Ruby. Brandy was excited to join the military and signed up before her 18th birthday.  Brandy joined for the challenge and she got that and more. Brandy became a heavy wheel mechanic, then went to South Korea for a while.  She worked on 5-tonne or higher vehicles. Changing tires, batteries, alternators and more, her 3 crewmates in the motor pool originally underestimated her ability, because of her size. Brandy said, “Getting in and changing the tire, and the tire being as tall as I was, it was fun to prove them wrong. I think that’s what I needed as somebody who was young. I needed to go in and prove myself to the world and show people what I could do and what I was made of.” Her journey then took her to the demilitarized zone in North Korea, which opened her eyes to just how different thing were.  Looking back on her service and what it meant, Brandy focuses on giving back. Brandy went into education following her time in the military. Graduating from Washburn University in Topeka, and working in the local 501 district as an instructional coach.  Thank you for sharing your story Brandy and THANK YOU for your service.