In October, the Pelham Manor Fire Department welcomed Jennifer Mondido as a volunteer firefighter. Mondido, born and raised in Staten Island, is a licensed commercial rotor-wing pilot and military veteran with more than 200 hours of combat flying experience in the Middle East.

“My deployments included Operation Enduring Freedom VII in Afghanistan and Operation New Dawn, Iraq, where I was the strategic lead in the redeployment of aviation assets,” said Mondido.

Her primary role was to fly  helicopters such as Blackhawks and Kiowa Warriors. After 22 years of military service, she is now retired from the military and living in Pelham with her two kids and spouse.

“My career provided me with an immense sense of honor and pride in service to our nation,” Mondido said. “I enlisted as a private, then was commissioned as a military officer and reached the rank of lieutenant colonel in the branches of aviation and psychological.”

With a strong desire to continue her record of service, Mondido decided to become a volunteer firefighter in the Pelham Manor department, spending more than 140 hours in training over the course of six months.

“My favorite part about being in a firefighting environment is learning new skill sets in fire operations,” she said. “Most of my time at the fire department so far has been training response procedures.”