Renee Haley

Renee was born in Conyers, GA and joined the military in 1988 right out of high school. Sheserved in the US Army from 1989-1991 and is the only female in her family to serve in the military. She went to basic training at Fort McClellan, Anniston, Alabama, and then to Fort Leonardwood, MO for AIT for the MOS 88M.

She was stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C with atransportation unit in the 82 nd Airborne Division, then with the 594 th Trans Co with the 101 st Airborne division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. This is where she met and married her husband Joe while on active duty, and they were deployed together to the Persian Gulf for

Desert Shield/Storm.

They came back to Central Michigan in 1991 and raised two sons. She states that joining the military was the best decision for herself and will never forget what she learned while in the military, as patriotism took on a whole new meaning by serving this great nation. It is that sense of pride and kindredship with other veterans that is something she still continues to carry with her. Renee worked for Clare County, MI for over 18 years, and became the Director of Veterans Services for Clare County in 2008, and is the President and co-founder of the Veterans Freedom Park located in Harrison.

Renee now works for the Department of Veterans Affairs. She had the distinct pleasure of being on the Inaugural Honor Flight with the Mid Michigan Hub as a guardian with a Battle of the Bulge veteran in 2014, and has attended several others since. This was so impactful that she felt a calling to be a bigger part of this organization. Being a veterans advocate is something that she is extremely passionate about and is looking forward to being a part of this once in a lifetime journey with other veterans on the future Honor flights.