FORT LEE, Va. (March 6, 2014) -- Command Sgt. Maj. Cynthia B. Howard is not trying to evade the issue. The first female Transportation Corps Regimental CSM knows what her achievement means to women and to a new generation of people who might see her selection as a towering sign of progress and hope on the road of gender equality.
"I am proud to be the first female regimental command sergeant major," she said days before she was officially honored.
But, as the smoke of celebration dissipates surrounding her achievement, she wants to move on to the business of taking care of Soldiers and civilians -- not as the first female regimental command sergeant major -- but as a top-notch leader who brings with her a unique set of qualifications to accomplish the mission. To articulate her aspiration, she quoted author John C. Maxwell:
"'Leadership is not about titles, positions or flowcharts. It's about one's life influencing another life.'"
She further explained.
"I think as the regimental CSM, not the female regimental CSM, I can impact all those young Soldiers who will replace us one day," she said.
CSM Clifton Johnson, commandant, Logistics Noncommissioned Officer Academy and Howard's former superior, said he understands the implications of being "first" and how it might impinge on a leader's ability to perform their duties. The dilemma is one that Howard will successfully negotiate, he said.
"The dynamic of this is that you cannot hide the fact that she is a great female sergeant major," said Johnson. "… (CSM) Cynthia Pritchett is the first female to lead forces in combat in Afghanistan and selected for the Quartermaster Hall of Fame. She said the same thing -- 'I don't want to be recognized as just a female sergeant major.' She was a great Soldier. CSM Howard is also a great Soldier; if you remove gender from the discussion, I would put her up against any Soldier in the Army. I would never argue otherwise."
The foundation for Howard's career ascension was a firm family life and upbringing in Columbia, S.C.
"My parents were really strict and they were disciplinarians," she said of her father, Kenneth, and mother, Katherine Taylor. "I learned from them what my role was as a child. Their discipline is still with me. To this day, there are things I won't do in front of them out of respect."
The discipline served Howard well at AC Flora High School where she was active in athletics. She earned a partial athletic scholarship to attend Carson-Newman University and took part in the basketball, volleyball, and track and field teams. She ended her matriculation one year later, joining the Army in 1986 as a motor transport operator.
Assigned to Kaiserslautern, Germany, on her first tour of duty, Howard was pushed in front of the Soldier of the month board as a specialist. She took down the competitors in that event and those that followed, earning the 21st Theater Army Area Command Soldier of the Year title for 1988.
"After winning, I decided the Army would be my breadwinner," she said. "I was going to make it my career."
Howard said her Kaiserslautern achievements were not hers alone. Her company first sergeant, one Howard Rathmann, was a big influence, lighting fires in places where sparks were weak.
"PT was a good example," said the 47-year-old of Rathmann, who later became the Combined Arms Support Command CSM. "As a private, sometimes you think doing it every day of the week is too much, so you would want to take shortcuts. He would say, 'No, Pvt. Howard. In fact you're getting up front to lead this company and we're going to go longer.'"
Howard dove headfirst into the uncharted waters of gaining experience, taking on assignments without reservation, she said. They included a deployment during Operation Desert Shield/Storm in 1990-91 and four others in support of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom. Howard's last deployment was to the austere conditions of western Afghanistan, where her battalion was responsible for building a forward operating base from scratch. Memories of the endeavor generated an especially prideful glow.
"My main focus was making sure I took care of Soldiers, Airmen, Sailors and Marines," she said of her assignment as the 87th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 3rd Sustainment Brigade CSM. "It gave me the opportunity to build relationships with other services, something I had never done before. It was an awesome experience for me, and through it all, we brought everyone home."
Afghanistan was a defining achievement, said Johnson, Howard's 3rd Sust. Bde. superior prior to the deployment. It also lent credence, he said, to her demonstrated abilities, dynamic leadership and potential for greater achievement.
"Whenever there was a no-fail, high-visibility mission," he said, "I gave it to her. She performed above standard. When she was selected for brigade, I was not surprised."
Following the 87th CSSB assignment, Howard became the top enlisted Soldier for the Surface Deployment Distribution Command's 598th Trans. Bde., headquartered in Sembach, Germany.
Although her rise has been on the fast track, Howard said it hasn't been perfect. She said deployments have made it clear military demands can sometimes deal crushing blows to family life and has particularly left her savoring any time she could spend with her son, Alexander Goodman Jr. That realization came during her last deployment, when the teenager seemed to morph into a man right before her eyes.
"He was graduating high school and preparing for college," she said, dabbing her moist eyes. "That was hard because we were deploying in March of 2010, and he was graduating in May. I was stressed about not meeting the time requirements (in theater) to be back for his graduation. I met the minimum time requirement and I was able to come back (from Afghanistan) 90 days later in May."
It was a happy ending, but the prospect of what could have happened generates fresh emotions, she said, because they spent a very meaningful time together planning the next stage of his life. Goodman chose the College of William and Mary and is a member of the football team.
"That made me the proudest mom ever, having to go back to the war zone" she said with a trembling voice. "That was very emotional for me."
As Goodman prepares to graduate in the spring, his mother will begin the toil of dealing with current Army issues such as training, readiness, sexual harassment and others as well as a long list of priorities that will usher the corps into the future. For the latter, smaller numbers and a reduction in resources are likely the most urgent matters.
"The Army is in the process of a force redesign," said Howard, and there exists the "possibility that our numbers will be reduced, therefore, we need to continue to prepare our Soldiers for transition and maintain Army standards and discipline" as a way of stabilizing and preserving the quality of force.
Regardless of what is on the horizon, Howard is ready to drive forward in taking on her responsibilities.
"I'm humbled and honored to serve as the 12th regimental command sergeant major," she said. "I'm looking forward to working with all the Soldiers and civilians and look forward to their continued support and dedication to the corps."
The prospect of what lies ahead for Howard brings to mind another Maxwell quote, one that seems to suggest that successful leadership, regardless of the circumstances, is often the result of competency, achievement and the ability to move others to perform their best.
"A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way."
Social Sharing