Shari Hastings Lucey was born in Manchester, NH, on August 21, 1959, to Guy and Frances Hastings. Her father, Guy, served in the Army during the Korean conflict, spent time with the occupation forces in Japan after WWII, and spent many years in the Army Reserves, reaching the rank of Command Sergeant Major. With her father’s service, Hastings Lucey was able to do something most service members don’t get to do – serve in her father’s Reserve outfit for six years until he retired. Hastings Lucey commented on the experience, “Most of the guys in the outfit were older and had known me since I was a little kid, so they treated me like family.”

Hastings Lucey graduated from Manchester’s Central High School, class of 1977. She went on to earn an Associate’s Degree from Hesser College and a B.A. Degree from Notre Dame College with a major in Paralegal Studies. In her teen years and through high school, Hastings Lucey worked in her family’s grocery business.

While a high school senior, Hastings Lucey joined the US Army Reserves and completed basic training at Fort McClellan, Alabama, the summer before starting college. Hastings Lucey notes, “I joined a little bit early because of where my birthday fell, but nobody seemed to mind.”

Hastings Lucey continues, “I joined HQ, 1st Battalion, 304th Regiment, 1st Brigade, Infantry One Station Unit Training (IN OSUT), 76th Div Training (Tng) in the Army Reserves. I participated in the Civilian Acquired Skills Program (nicknamed 2-week wonders) and entered the military as a PFC because I had a skill that the military needed. That is, they needed people with administrative and clerical skills, more so than infantry or artillery skills.”

(Author’s Note: The primary mission of Hastings Lucey’s unit was to provide Drill Sergeants to conduct Basic Combat Training. The “2-week wonders” refers to some Reservists, depending on that service-member’s Military Operational Specialty (MOS), who were subject to an abbreviated Basic Training course of 2 weeks as opposed to the conventional 10 to 16 weeks.)

Asked about why she joined, Hastings Lucey replied, “I was interested in doing something different; something adventurous; and I wanted to go to college. The money earned by my military service helped with that, affording me a lifelong career.”

Asked about how her father felt about her going into the Reserves, she answered, “He was supportive, but I think there was still some doubt in his mind. I think he expected me to return early from Basic Training. But I saw it through.”

“I joined the Women’s Army Corps,” notes Hastings Lucey, “which officially ended October 20, 1978. I was one of the last women to join the WACS. Women were then integrated into the regular Army. But that didn’t really have any effect on me. My uniform and my job remained the same.”

(Author’s Note: The Women’s Army Corps (WAC) originally started as the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WWWC) on May 15, 1942, following the advocacy of Congresswoman Edith Rogers recognizing the need for women to serve in the Army and receive equal pay and benefits with men. However, originally, WAAC members only had limited military status and benefits. On July 1, 1943, the unit was converted to full active duty as the Women’s Army Corps, granting women full U.S. Army benefits and military status.)

Hastings Lucey remembers a rather odd situation while traveling in uniform. She said, “I was traveling on a commercial air flight from basic training while in uniform. The woman sitting next to me mistook my uniform for that of a Girl Scout – a Girl Scout! She seemed shocked when she found out I was in the Army!”

Asked about the time period in which she served, Hastings Lucey noted, “My enlistment and service were sandwiched between the Vietnam War and the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, so I never served in a war zone.” But even though there are “no front lines and no headlines,” America’s military still plays a vital role. Even in peacetime, the mission continues – the mission to maintain America as a peace-keeping power in the world through tactical, mental, and physical readiness.

Hastings Lucey’s military career in brief:

• 1977 – promoted to SP4 in the Army Reserves
• 1978 – promoted to SP5 and served as a Unit Clerk in the Army Reserves
• 1982 – promoted to Staff Sergeant and served as an Administrative Specialist
• 1983 – enlisted in Detachment 1, Troop Command, HQ STARC (Headquarters – State Area Command) in the NH National Guard as a Staff Sergeant. I served as the Chief Admin. NCO and supervised 6 guardsmen/women providing administrative support to the non-artillery units of the NH Army National Guard
• 1984 – attended the NH Military Academy and participated in the Basic Course for Reserve Component Noncommissioned Officers in Concord – named a Distinguished Graduate
• 1986 – promoted to Sergeant First Class.
• 1987 – with ten years of military service completed, Hastings Lucey was assigned to the Inactive National Guard.
  Awards/medals received:

Various letters of commendation

• Award of Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal/Oak Leaf Cluster – 1st award,
• NH National Guard Service Bar
• NH National Guard Commendation Medal for meritorious service.

Of her promotions, Hastings Lucey commented, “Promotions were precipitated by a soldier’s time in the Reserves and their qualifications. And they had to go before a Promotions Board.”

In her civilian life, Hastings Lucey married Will Lucey in 1999. She has “played mom” to several “four-legged children” over the years. She worked for two Manchester law firms, first as a legal secretary, then as a paralegal.

Hastings Lucey retired in 2024 after working in the legal profession for 45 years. She says, “Today my hobbies include enjoying our 1926 Model T Touring Car and 1930 Model A pickup truck, gardening, and being a dog mom.”

Of her military time, Hastings Lucey posited, “I am very proud of my service in the military, which gave a shy 17-year-old girl from New Hampshire a level of maturity, confidence, and a belief in myself and what I could accomplish that I never would have had without that experience. I learned that I could hold my own in a male-dominated world.”

Hastings Lucey continues, “While serving, I had many interesting experiences. We had to qualify yearly with the M-16 rifle. In addition, our commanding officer thought that office personnel should experience some of what our field people do, so he arranged for us to fire an anti-tank weapon and go up in a helicopter.”

Hastings Lucey also notes, there were a few less-savory experiences, “My time was not without its challenges. I had joined an infantry unit in the Army Reserves at a time when women were still not fully accepted as equals in the military. Harassment against women was a frequent occurrence, and no, or limited action was taken against those perpetrating this behavior, leaving the female soldiers to defend themselves. Sadly, I witnessed several very qualified female soldiers leave the military because of this. When I transferred to the NH National Guard, I found the treatment of female soldiers to be much more professional, and the type of behavior that I encountered in the Reserves was not tolerated in the National Guard. But, overall, it was a positive experience.”

US Service Personnel Profiles
By Gary Ledoux April 2, 2026