Photo By Melanie Casineau | Sister Judith Rosenthal holds her right hand up as she swears into the U.S. Air...... read more read more
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Speaking with the composed, modest woman, one would never guess about the historical role Sister Judith Rosenthal holds. For she is no ordinary nun.
Rosenthal, affectionately known as Sister Judy, is also a retired master sergeant with 22 years of service in the Massachusetts Air National Guard. From 1971 to 1993, Rosenthal simultaneously accomplished her duties in two vastly different worlds, a religious one and a military one. For more than two decades, Rosenthal successfully balanced her obligations as both a member of the Sisters of Saint Joseph in Holyoke and her role as a medic at the then-104th Tactical Fighter Group, serving her faith, community and country.
Rosenthal entered the Sisters of St. Joseph on Sept. 15, 1964, taking her vows as a nun. In 1967, she felt called to enter into the medical field. She entered a local vocational school and became one of the first nuns to become a licensed practical nurse, earning her LPN after graduating in 1969. But serving her community as a medical and religious figure still left Rosenthal feeling as though she could serve in a greater capacity.
After speaking with a chaplain, who served in the Air Guard and at Mont Marie, where Rosenthal worked, she made a decision. In September 1971, Massachusetts Gov. Francis Sargent administered the oath of enlistment to Rosenthal and fellow nun Sister Sheila McGuirk, who was also a member of the Sisters of Saint Joseph and LPN. Both were assigned to the 104th TFG as medical technicians in the TAC Clinic.
At a time when women were still a small minority in the guard, and religious figures serving were even rarer, Rosenthal took a leap of faith. “I had to get permission from the bishop,” Rosenthal said. “I wasn’t sure if I’d be allowed to join.”
Just a little more than a year after taking her military oath, Rosenthal took another step in the sisterhood, making her final vow on Oct. 4, 1972, indicating her desire to stay in the religious community.
Rosenthal’s decision decades ago further echo the National Guard’s time-honored tradition of relying on citizen soldiers and citizen airmen, personnel who hold various civilian jobs while simultaneously serving out a commitment to the military. For Rosenthal, her religious vows, pastoral and volunteer work provided the basis of her civilian life.
Balancing military duty with religious life required coordination to ensure Rosenthal could fulfill her duties in both roles. Her dedication ensured the successful completion of her guard duty, which entailed one weekend drill per month and two weeks of annual training, including time at Tyndall Air Force Base during the Gulf War, while continuing her work in parish ministry and social services.
Throughout her 22 years of military service, Rosenthal provided medical support to service members during drill weekends, training exercises and operational readiness missions. As a medic and optometry technician, she was responsible for patient care, health screenings and emergency response, helping ensure the physical readiness of airmen assigned to the 104th TFG. She also worked as the unit career advisor when she was a technical sergeant in 1985.
While Rosenthal was never a pilot or part of the jet maintenance crew, she did have an opportunity to go up in the F-100 jet just before its retirement and the introduction of the A-10s, making her quite literally “a flying nun.” Her service coincided with the last two decades of the Cold War, a period when National Guard units trained to ensure higher levels of readiness for state and federal missions.
Rosenthal earned numerous service and longevity awards, including the Meritorious Service Medal, recognizing her professionalism and continued commitment to the Air Guard.
After retiring from the military in 1993, Rosenthal continued serving communities in western Massachusetts as a pastoral minister, case manager and advocate for older adults. While she formally retired from ministry in 2020, Sister Judy continues to volunteer her time and recently celebrated not only 60 years of religious service but also her 80th birthday. She resides in Holyoke and still remains committed to the vows she took all those decades ago.
Rosenthal’s heritage is one of quiet merit, a woman who revealed that service to God and country can complement each other through dedication, discipline and care for others.
| Date Taken: | 12.31.1969 |
| Date Posted: | 01.03.2026 19:37 |
| Story ID: | 555182 |
| Location: | HOLYOKE, MASSACHUSETTS, US |
| Web Views: | 248 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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