Lieutenant colonel returning home to speak Memorial Day

An Air Force intelligence officer, whose career has taken her all over the United States as well as overseas, will return home as the speaker for Greencastle's Memorial Day ceremony at 11 a.m. Monday, May 27, at Cedar Hill Cemetery.

Lt. Col. Rachael Ott Chancey is the daughter of Jeff and Pam Ott and a 1998 graduate of Greencastle-Antrim High School. She was commissioned from the University of Pittsburgh ROTC into the Air Force in May 2002, became a lieutenant colonel on Feb. 1, 2017, and reached her 17-year military anniversary on May 10.

She is currently the commander at the 94th Intelligence Squadron, Fort Meade, Maryland, where she leads over 400 airmen. She is married to Lt. Col. David Chancey, who is stationed at Duke Field, Florida, where he commands the 592d Special Operations Maintenance Squadron. They have one son, Charles, 3. 

When her father, asked if she was interested in coming home for Memorial Day, Ott Chancey recalled "it was an easy yes."

She said serving all over the world has made her truly appreciate what small town life instilled in her as a child and young adult.

"Greencastle will always hold a special place in my heart and to share a piece of my story at the cemetery on Memorial Day is truly an honor," Ott Chancey said. 

The ceremony will follow a parade on Baltimore Street that begins at 10:30 a.m. The parade will form on Allison Street at the State Farm office at 9:30 a.m. Marching units, school groups and people with military vehicles are welcome. There is no registration.

If it rains, the parade may be cancelled, with a decision made by 8:30 a.m., and the ceremony moved to the Greencastle-Antrim High School auditorium.

The events are co-sponsored by the Greencastle American Legion and VFW. For more information, call Larry Pittman, Legion commander, at 717-496-1854.