profiles

West is also the first black female lieutenant general, the first black female major general of the Army's active component and Army Medicine's first African-American female two-star general.

West is a graduate from the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering. She attended the George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C., where she earned a Doctorate of Medicine degree.

• West sworn in as Army surgeon general

Fontes became the commanding general of Combined Security Transition Command - Afghanistan, July 15, 2017. She is a U.S. Military Academy graduate that spent 12 years in the region, serving in Afghanistan multiple times, as well as in India, Pakistan and Tajikistan. She speaks three regional languages: Russian, Farsi and Dari.

• New commander is highest ranking female officer in Afghanistan since war begans

Then-1st Lt. Lauran Glover, a military police officer, made history in November 2014 when she was selected as the first woman drill commander of the U.S. Army Drill Team, 4th Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard). Initially, Glover ruled out any chance of joining the USADT because she did not fit the typical mode of the team’s leadership. Traditionally, the commander was an Infantry officer.

In the fall of 2016, she is set to begin a doctoral program in clinical psychology at the American School of Professional Psychology in Washington, D.C. Becoming a psychologist that helps service members has been her goal since joining the Army. Glover said her motivation for joining was to have a shared experiences with members of the military that could help her gain insights. Glover’s advice for the next drill commander is simple: understand the needs of the Soldiers, don’t be afraid to take advice from past members, and put your own initiatives and vision forward to better the team and their situation.

• First female Army Drill Team commander earns position by “doing her job”
• First Female USADT Commander
• Drill Team’s First Female Commander Begins New Endeavor

Gallagher competed against 24 of the Army's finest warriors, representing 12 commands worldwide in the 2010 Best Warrior Competition at Fort Lee, Virginia, Oct. 25, 2010. Described as the "Super Bowl" of Army competitions, the competition tests each competitor's Army aptitude, conquering urban warfare simulations, board interviews, physical fitness tests, written exams, and warrior tasks and battle drills relevant to today's operating environment.

Gallagher is also the first service member to win the national high-power rifle championship in 23 years and the second women ever to win - her mother was the first. In 2012, Gallagher joined the Army's Golden Knights Parachute Team.

• First female selected as Best Warrior's Soldier of Year
• VIDEO: Dream Strong
• VIDEO: National High Power Champion

Then-Col. Gwen Bingham was the first female to serve as quartermaster general, November 2010, and pinned as general in April 2011. She also became the first female African-American Quartermaster Corps general and was the first female to serve as the Fort Lee garrison commander.

The Senate confirmed then-Maj. Gen. Gwen Bingham, June 29, for appointment to the rank of lieutenant general, and she was sworn in as the assistant chief of staff for Installation Management. She is the first officer in 10 years to serve as ACISM without also serving as commander of Installation Management Command.

Bingham graduated from Army ROTC from the University of Alabama in August 1981, with a Bachelor of Science degree in General Business Management, a master’s degree in Administration from Central Michigan University, and a master’s degree in National Security Strategy and Resources from the National Defense University.

• Army's first female Quartermaster General pins on star
• Energy security, 'reduced footprint' top priorities for lieutenant general

Darpino began serving as the 39th judge advocate general of the U.S. Army, Sept. 4, 2013. She was promoted during a ceremony at the Pentagon, and assumed the duties of the position. The judge advocate general serves as the senior uniformed attorney in the Army. Darpino received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, her Juris Doctor from Rutgers University in New Jersey, and her Master of Laws degree in military law from the Judge Advocate General's School. Darpino received a direct commission into the Army's Judge Advocate General's Corps in January 1987.

• Full Profile
• Army swears in first woman as Judge Advocate General

Burcham was promoted at the Corps' Washington, D.C. headquarters, Jan. 27, 2012. In September 2011, Burcham became the first woman selected to command a Corps of Engineers division when she took command of the Great Lakes and Ohio River Division located in Cincinnati, Ohio. The division consists of seven engineer districts that include more than 4,800 personnel operating in a 17-state region with the responsibility for the federal water resource development throughout the Great Lakes and Ohio River basins.

• First woman promoted to general within Army Corps of Engineers

Anderson was promoted during a ceremony at Fort Knox, Kentucky, Oct. 1, 2011. She was assigned as the deputy chief of Army Reserve. She had previously assumed responsibility as deputy commander of the U.S. Army Human Resources Command, Oct. 1, 2010. Anderson is employed by the United States Courts, where she serves as the clerk of Bankruptcy Court, Western District of Wisconsin, located in Madison, Wisconsin.

• HRC deputy becomes Army's first female African-American major general

Horoho was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general and became the 43rd surgeon general of the Army by Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Ray Odierno during a ceremony, Dec. 7, 2011, at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Arlington, Virginia. Horoho had previously commanded the Army Nurse Corps since 2008, when she received a rare two-grade promotion from colonel to major general - skipping the rank of brigadier general.

• Horoho takes oath as first nurse, female surgeon general
• Horoho assumes command of MEDCOM

Lawrence oversaw a $10 billion annual information technology budget. She joined the Women's Army Corps in 1972 and was commissioned in 1979. Lawrence was named chief information officer in March 2011, after a career in various leadership positions and operational assignments that took her around the world. As the G-6, Lawrence supported the Army chief of staff and Army staff in performing information management, network operations (including computer network defense), force structure, and the equipping and employment of signal forces.

During McGuire's nearly 30 years of active service, she was assigned in key command and staff billets from platoon level to the Army staff. McGuire was the 10th commander of Criminal Investigation Command since it was first established as a major command, Sept. 17, 1971, and the 13th provost marshal general of the Army since 1941. She was the first woman to serve in both positions.

• First woman becomes Army provost marshal general

On Sept. 22, 2009, Command Sgt. Maj. Teresa King became the first female commandant of the Drill Sergeant School at Fort Jackson, S.C.

• First female commandant takes reins at Drill Sergeant School
• Army picks first female commandant to lead Drill Sergeant School

Dunwoody also became the first female deputy of Army Materiel Command, Nov. 14, 2008, and the first woman to hold her previous position as the deputy chief of staff of the Army for G-4 (Logistics), and to command the U.S. Army Combined Arms Support Command. Approximately five percent of general officers in the Army are women, which includes mobilized Army Reserve and Army National Guard general officers.

• White House Nominates First Female for Fourth Star
• Army promotes first woman to four-star general

Hester received the medal, June 16, 2005. Hester's squad was shadowing a supply convoy, March 20, when anti-Iraqi fighters ambushed the convoy. The squad moved to the side of the road, flanking the insurgents and cutting off their escape route. Hester led her team through the "killzone" and into a flanking position, where she assaulted a trench line with grenades and M203 grenade-launcher rounds. She and Staff Sgt. Timothy Nein, her squad leader, then cleared two trenches, at which time she killed three insurgents with her rifle. When the fight was over, 27 insurgents were dead, six were wounded, and one was captured.

• Woman Soldier Receives Silver Star for Valor in Iraq

Pietsch was also the first female Asian-American general officer in the U.S. Army. During her military career, Pietsch participated in numerous exercises and deployments throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

• Waterloo to Washington: The Long Journey of Coral Wong Pietsch

Kennedy's promotion also led to becoming the Army deputy chief of staff for intelligence, G-2. Kennedy was confirmed by the Senate for promotion to lieutenant general, and assigned to the position of deputy chief of staff for intelligence, May 21, 1997. Her promotion and swearing-in ceremony took place June 17, 1997.

• Former Full Profile (U.S. Department of State)

Wright's 35-year-career of military service culminated in her final assignment as adjutant general of Pennsylvania and commander of the Pennsylvania National Guard. In the Pennsylvania cabinet-level position, she was responsible for command, control and supervision of all Air and Army National Guard units allocated to Pennsylvania, six state-owned veterans' homes, and programs for the state's one million veterans. She previously served as the deputy adjutant general for the Army.

Horton served in the Army for 28 years. She was at the Pentagon on 9/11, and her prayers helped many people. She met serious resistance as one of the first women chaplains for the Army, but she persevered, and her love healed hateful situations.

• Women in the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps

Dr. Cornum entered into combat with the U.S. Army's 2-229th attack helicopter battalion during the Gulf War, Feb. 27, 1991. Then-Maj. Cornum became the first medical officer to graduate Air Command and Staff College and published her prisoner-of-war experience in the book, "She Went to War: The Rhonda Cornum Story." As an Army flight surgeon, serving with the 2/229th Attack Helicopter Battalion during Desert Storm, Cornum's UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter was shot down over Iraq. One of three survivors from the eight-person crew, Cornum was captured by the Iraqi Republican Guard and held as a POW. Her open dialogue from her experiences as a female POW helped drive Congress to expand the roles of women in combat. In addition, her leadership in the aviation and medical communities helped enhance combat performance for hundreds of thousands of Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines serving around the world.

• Female POWs prove women can endure war's hardships
• Female Prisoners of War (DoD Live)

Johnsen became the 389th Soldier in 38 years to receive the prestigious badge in 1996. A military police, she served in the Reserves as a personnel administrative specialist, joined the unit in 1994. After serving in the Old Guard for one year, in June 1995 she applied for training as a tomb sentinel. "There is no higher honor, there is no greater honor," said Johnsen. "I can't think of anything else I'd rather do for my country than to guard the unknowns." The badge is a temporary award until the sentinel has honorably served at the Tomb of the Unknowns for nine months.

The 3rd U.S. Infantry (The Old Guard), is the oldest continuously active unit in the Army. Because it is a combat arms unit, The Old Guard did not allow women into its ranks until 1994 when the 289th Military Police Company was attached to it.

In 1989, over 700 women went to Panama in support of Operation Just Cause. Capt. Linda Bray led 30 Soldiers of the 988th Military Police company into combat to seize an enemy objective near Panama City. Her role ignited the debate over the role of women in the combat roles in the Army.

• Noriega's Surrender: Army; For First Time, a Woman Leads G.I.'s in Combat (The New York Times)

Lewis' career has been marked by many firsts, including being the first female captain of West Point's highly successful intercollegiate equestrian team, the 1980 Academy Equestrian of the Year, and the first female Soldier to command a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers District in Iraq. She was responsible for overseeing the rebuilding efforts in the region. In total, she has commanded three U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Districts.

• Former Full Profile (Army G-1)

Johnson-Brown was an operating room nurse, who graduated from the Harlem Hospital School of Nursing and joined the Army in 1955. She thought it would be an opportunity that would allow her to explore the world and hone her nursing skills. She had no idea she would become a part of military history. Timing had much to do with Johnson-Brown's success in the military, as she entered the Army shortly after President Harry Truman banned segregation and discrimination in the armed services. Following her retirement, Johnson-Brown enjoyed a distinguished "second" career in academia. She served as professor of nursing at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and finally at George Mason University in Virginia. At George Mason University, she was instrumental in founding the Center for Health Policy, designed to educate and involve nurses in health policy and policy design. Johnson-Brown retired from teaching in 1997.

Hayes is also the first black woman to graduate from Army Flight School in Fort Rucker, Alabama. She received her Army aviator wings in November 1979. Hayes' interest in flying began when she was an ROTC cadet at the University of Wisconsin. Her helicopter flight training required she earn her paratrooper badge as well as pass the rigorous Flight Aptitude Selection Test and the flight physical. Hayes was the 55th woman to earn her pilots wings and she retired from the Army as a Transportation Corps lieutenant colonel.

Murphy graduated from the Army Aviation School at Fort Rucker, Alabama. She joined the Army's Women Army Corps in 1972, and entered the aviation school when women were first allowed in. Murphy flew helicopters for the 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley, Kansas, and commanded the 62nd Aviation Company in Germany and the 78th Aviation Battalion (Provisional) in Japan.

• Army honors its first female helicopter pilot

Henderson was sworn in at U.S. Army Forces Command at Fort McPherson, Georgia, and served in the military for 13 years.

• Women in the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps

Hays received a commission in the Army Nurse Corps in May 1942. Her overseas assignments included service in India, Korea, and Japan. She was promoted to a brigadier general, June 11, 1970. During her tenure as chief, she continued to deal with the imposing challenges of recruitment and retention as the Vietnam War reached its height.

• Former Full Profile (Army Heritage Center)

Hoisington advanced through the ranks of the Women's Army Corps and served as director of the Women's Army Corps from 1966-1971. Hoisington also became the second woman to be promoted to the rank of general officer, June 11, 1970.

• Pioneering Brig. Gen. Elizabeth P. Hoisington (Washington Post)
• Retirement Ceremony (National Archives)

Before joining the Women’s Army Corps, Burrows-Windham majored in aeronautical engineering at the University of California. She held a civilian pilot's license and was credited with 349 flying hours. Burrows-Windham was the director of flying for the New Mexico Wing of Women Flyers when asked to join the WAC. She served in the European Theater of Operations where her wings were a matter of such curiosity that Military Policemen stopped her on the streets to ask her authority for wearing the air crew member's insignia. Windham earned her wings while stationed at Gore Field, Missouri. Qualifying for the dual rating of crew chief and flight engineer, Windham completed many flights from Montana to Fairbanks, Alaska, and cross-country from Montana to Florida. She passed away, March 31, 1945, when the C-17 she was in collided with a C-47 over England.

• U.S. Army Women’s Museum

Raney was born in Suffolk, Virginia, Jan. 10, 1912. She was a graduate of the Lincoln Hospital School of Nursing in Durham, North Carolina. Approximately 500 black nurses served in the ANC during World War II. Raney was promoted to captain in 1945. After the war, she was assigned to head of the nursing staff at the station hospital at Camp Beale, California. Raney retired in 1978 as major.

Hobby became the first woman sworn into the Women's Army Corps, July 5, 1943. From 1942 to 1945, Hobby served as director of the Women's Army Corps, and as a result of the success she achieved in this position, was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal. On April 11, 1953, President Dwight D. Eisenhower named her head of the Federal Security Agency, and later that year, she was elevated to a cabinet position in the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare as its first secretary - a position she held until 1955.

• "Oveta Culp Hobby" by Senator Kay Bailey (Humanities Texas)

The Women's Auxiliary Army Corps, or WAC, was established in May of 1942. Lt. Col. Mary Hallaren was a member of its first officer training class. Shortly after the first class graduated, U.S. field commanders were calling for a female battalion to help overseas. Hallaren became that battalion's commander. After arriving in England, Halleran began touring the posts and facilities where her WACs would be working. The commandant at the first post she visited welcomed the female Soldiers, but not the regulations that accompanied them. In 1948, Hallaren helped work on the legislation to make WAC a permanent part of the regular Army and Reserves.

• The Women's Army Corps