A Mountain Home veteran is making history. Retired U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Elesha D. Granniss has been named Arkansas’s first Woman Veteran of the Year, an honor recognizing her decades of military service and her continued work supporting veterans across the Twin Lakes Area and the state.
Granniss received the honor during the 2025 Women Veteran Summit, presented by the Arkansas Department of Veteran Affairs. The award was presented by Gina Chandler, the department’s director of veteran services.
Her 17-year career in the Air Force was marked by dedication, compassion, and leadership – qualities colleagues say have had a lasting impact on veterans across the state.
“I joined the Air Force two years after high school,” Granniss said. “I was in college full-time and working full-time, but I still couldn’t afford to move out on my own. Around that time, a close friend was preparing to leave for Army boot camp, but tragically, he was murdered just a week before he was supposed to leave. His death changed everything for me.”
Determined to honor her friend’s dream and find her own purpose, Granniss enlisted in the Air Force, where she built a distinguished career in healthcare management before retiring in 2014.
“My service shaped who I am,” she said. “It gave me a lifelong commitment to serving others, especially my fellow veterans.”
One of her defining moments came during her 2006 deployment to Sather Air Base in Iraq.
“We prepare for deployment from the moment we enter basic training,” she said. “But nothing truly prepares you for leaving your children behind.”
Granniss, who continues to advocate for veterans in north-central Arkansas, said she hopes the recognition helps inspire other women in uniform to share their stories of service.
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