Twenty-one years after retiring from the Navy Nurse Corps, Priscilla Laubscher of Oswego continues touting the teamwork and communication skills necessary to thrive under challenging situations.

Laubscher, who was also active duty U.S. Air Force from 1968-1972, is speaking to children at Oswego’s Prairie Point Elementary School during its annual Veterans Day assembly.

She said she hopes her presentation helps instill the values of appreciating the diversity of people you work with and utilizing each other’s different talents and experiences.

Laubscher said the lessons learned during her time serving in a military fleet hospital helped her better manage her civilian nursing career at Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield and as an instructor at the nursing lab at the College of DuPage. She said she taught her students how to perform under pressure during the nursing lab’s trauma scenarios.

In the Air Force, Laubscher said she worked in climates of polar opposites. She first worked out of a hospital at Tyndall Air for Base in Panama City, Florida, before serving at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage, Alaska, from 1970 to 1972.

She entered the U.S. Navy Reserves in 1985. Her fleet hospital supported a contingent of 2,000 military personnel. Out of Camp Pendleton in California, they were attached to the 4th Marine Regiment, a reserve unit.

“Operating well as a team in those situations is so crucial,” Laubscher said. “I learned it was important to know your team members, to support them and to be open to different ideas within the reserve community. Within the reserves, so many individuals come from different fields outside their assigned job in the military. Each person brings a depth of talent with them that we used in different ways.”

Laubscher said her urge to serve comes from the long-line of military service in her family. She said this line dates back to the Revolutionary War where her descendent served at Valley Forge under George Washington and then was a cannoneer at Yorktown.

From there she had family members serve in the Civil War, World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. Her grandson is currently in the Army National Guard.

She personally missed the Gulf War deployment by three days, as her call up date was just after the conflict was called to an end.

Laubscher said her time serving as a commander at the American Legion Post 47 in Naperville helped show her what a great need there is to support veterans in the community.

She said the post would do several visits to the Hines VA Hospital to support veterans. The post also helped remodel several homes for veterans to help increase their mobility and improve their quality of life.

Laubscher said more veterans in the community should be encouraged to use the resources of the Veterans Assistance Commission of Kendall County.

Laubscher said she hopes to convey the same lessons to the young students in Oswego that she did to the young scouts that volunteered with the American Legion post.

“Always be open to others’ opinions. Learn from others. Involve people and value the art of teamwork,” Laubscher said.