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Photo Ops:

Take a walk around Lawrence Island in Cataumet—a sandy loop about a mile long starting at the end of Grasslands Lane and running between Squeteague and Megansett Harbor—for a peaceful sunset stroll, or head over to the Chart Room for one of their famous mudslides and some equally amazing views.

Favorite Spots:

The Aptucxet Trading Post Museum is a great place to learn about a part of history that is so important to Cape Cod and experience what life was like for the Pilgrims in the 17th century. Looking to be a little more active? Try taking your dog for a walk through the Bourne Sisters Woodland, featuring beautiful vistas and even a cranberry bog.

Mom & Pops

The Daily Brew in Cataumet takes pride in its friendly atmosphere, offering customers a fresh cup of coffee and a home away from home. Try one of their delicious breakfast sandwiches and head upstairs for a cozy meal surrounded by unique décor and happy faces.

Don’t Miss!

Get moving this May to raise money for the National Marine Life Center with the Feet, Fins, & Flippers 5K. This fun family event is a great way to enjoy the spring weather with a scenic run or leisurely stroll along the canal, and all proceeds will benefit the center’s rehabilitation, science and education programs. Continue enjoying the canal region in the summer with Concerts by the Canal, featuring live music in Buzzards Bay Park every Thursday night in July and August.

A day in the life of: Col. Virginia Doonan, commander of the 102nd Intelligence Wing at Otis Air National Guard Base

By Haley Cote

There’s no such thing as a typical day for Col. Virginia Doonan. As commander of the 102nd Intelligence Wing at Otis Air National Guard Base, she oversees nearly 1,300 service members working both domestically and abroad. Whether it’s fighting the war on terror in the Middle East, aiding in hurricane relief efforts in Puerto Rico and her native Houston, Texas, or responding in the wake of a snowstorm on Cape Cod, Doonan and her teams’ missions are vast and ever changing. Doonan also serves as a member of the Joint Oversight Group for Joint Base Cape Cod, managing day-to-day operational support with the other military commands of JBCC, including the Air Force and Coast Guard, and working with Upper Cape town managers.

Doonan has a lot riding on her shoulders. But while it’s certainly not a low-stress job, Doonan says being wing commander is exciting—and utterly gratifying. “It’s one of the best jobs you can have,” she says. “Every single day we do work in our intelligence facilities that’s vitally important; we save lives, and we protect people.”

Col. Doonan’s career in service began when she enlisted in the Air Force in 1986, but her desire to serve was sparked earlier. “Growing up in Texas,” she recalls, “my family would go to San Antonio for weekend vacations. San Antonio is the gateway to the Air Force; all enlisted people go through basic training in San Antonio at Lackland. One weekend when I was about 12, my family went [to Lackland], and I saw a bunch of women in uniform. It never dawned on me before then that women were in the military. I thought it was a neat idea, and I told my parents that I wanted to be in the Air Force.”

She joined Otis in 1988 as an F15 avionics mechanic and went on to become an aircraft maintenance officer. When the 102nd transitioned from a fighter wing to an intelligence wing in 2008, Doonan went back to school and received intelligence training. At the time, there was debate as to whether the 102nd should move to Hanscom Air Force Base, located northwest of Boston.

“The people of the 102nd overwhelmingly wanted to stay here,” Doonan says. “To me it’s significant—we reinvented ourselves from a fighter wing into an intelligence wing that is thriving and does a lot for the United States Air Force and the rest of the military and American people, and we wanted to do that here on Cape Cod. People are vested in this community and on this installation.”

The 22,000-acre installation, once an Army post during WWII, is the largest military installation in the Commonwealth. In addition to active duty Air Force and Coast Guard units, the base is home to over a dozen other tenants, including the Massachusetts National Cemetery and the only state-run fire department in the Commonwealth.

In June of 2016, Doonan became the first female commander of the 102nd Intelligence Wing. “It had to be somebody,” she says with a laugh. “I think it was really a matter of not so much being a woman as just being the right person with the right background. I’m more proud of being one of the only former enlisted people who’s ever been wing commander. It’s about the accomplishments I made to get here and the inspiration to others who may want to lead as officers in the future.”

On her role as commander, she reflects, “You always have challenges with federal budgets, unknowns, different conflicts that can break out, so I try to focus on the larger picture of what are the needs of the organization, and how can we make it better for the future?”

For Doonan, who has lived on the Cape for 28 years and raised her two children here, being commander is more than just a job. “The things that happen on this base affect the towns and my community,” she says. “If I feel like, in my position, I can help solve problems here, that’s important to me.”

Haley Cote is the assistant editor of Cape Cod Life Publications.