JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii - With eyes wide, she stood with her right hand raised, ready to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. So help her God.
On July 8, 1992, Cassandra McCoy, enlisted in the U.S. Army to break a cycle and to be more.
She is now a master sergeant with 23 years of military service, stationed in Hawaii, and the human resource noncommissioned officer in charge with the 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, U.S. Army Pacific.
"I grew up in a small town in Georgia; it was very old fashioned and traditional," shares McCoy. "It was pretty much farm life - raising animals on a farm, fishing and hunting - a country lifestyle. I didn't want to live like that. I wanted to be successful with a good stable career and to venture out. I wanted to be a provider for myself and not have to depend on a man.
"My father was emotionally, mentally and physically abusive to my mother and I knew that was something that I would not tolerate as a grown woman."
During her first year at Dodge County High School, Cassandra met retired Master Sgt. Black, an Army instructor with the JROTC program.
"I would watch him walk the hallways and he always seemed so motivated," explained McCoy. "He would always talk to the black kids and say encouraging things. He would ask us what we wanted in life and what we were going to do once we graduated. He was just so full of life. He invited me to join JROTC and talked to me about the benefits of joining the Army.
"Being part of JROTC was the highlight of my four years of high school - being on the drill team, being able to travel and compete in the surrounding counties, to see and experience different things."
After graduation, Cassandra enlisted in the Army, attended basic combat training and graduated from advanced individual training as an administrative specialist.
Cassandra discovered her new life was not going to be easy or like that of the average Soldier. She learned she was pregnant. She was going to be a mother.
"I got pregnant straight out of AIT by my high school sweetheart who ended up being a deadbeat," said McCoy. "That really changed my outlook on life and made me mature. Having to be a single parent in the military and having to take care of my son made me grow up fast."
Being a young mother and Soldier was difficult, but McCoy credits her success to the outstanding NCOs she had in her life who provided good leadership and guidance.
During her first assignment in Korea, one of her NCOs left a lasting impression.
"Being stationed in Korea in an infantry unit, I was the only female Soldier," explains McCoy. "That was very challenging. I was working in an admin section for a sergeant major and he was very hard on me but he was fair. I learned a lot from him but at the time, I thought he was just a [jerk].
"He was really helping me. He knew I didn't like running so he would always have me on all these remedial PT [physical training] programs, he always wanted me out there doing PT, he had me going before all these mock boards. At first I thought he was just picking on me, but he wasn't, he was molding me into being a strong NCO. I didn't realize it until I PCSed [moved] to my next duty station when I discovered I was ahead of my peers. He was setting me up for something greater."
As McCoy's years of service in the military passed and her duty positions changed so did her challenges.
McCoy's challenges were not only military related but also family related.
"I was a drill sergeant and when I came off the trail, I had a baby," shares McCoy. "She was born with Down syndrome. That has changed my life - I have a whole different outlook on life now. I am not as stern and as hard of a leader as I was. I try to now sit my Soldiers down and talk to them about life."
"I don't know if it is because of all the things medically that I have had to watch her go through, like the open heart surgery - maybe that's why. I talk to them about what they need to do, like that they need to take classes - if they get it, they get it."
March is National Women's History Month and gave us an opportunity to learn about a portion of McCoy's life journey, she shares what celebrating this history means to her.
"I think that it is awesome that we recognize some of the great values and the accomplishments of women," said McCoy. "I grew up in a hometown where the women were so submissive. They were not allowed to speak their mind and be recognized. It is important that we take the time to share our experiences and bring back what we have learned, whether to the Army or life, to make things better."
"If you have a dream, a vision - go for it," encourages McCoy. "Don't give up, keep pushing. Life is hard but don't let one little set back stop you from achieving your goals. Women are changing the world by working hard, by being inspired, by staying focused and positive and by never giving up."
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