Over the years, the role of women in the society changed a great deal. They are now taking jobs that were once considered men’s only and are showing the world that they can cope with any obstacle that comes along their way.
Retired Army Gen. Ann Dunwoody is one of them. Not only she showed incredible courage throughout the years of serving the country and its people, but she also achieved a four-star officer rank in November 14, 2008 which made her the first ever woman in the history to get it.
She’s now a role model many young girls and women look up to. Army Gen. Dunwoody showed the whole country there is nothing that can’t be reached as only the sky is the limit.
On October 10, 2019, she was given the Thayer award as a tribute to her success and achievement in the military. She was presented with the award by West Point’s Association of Graduates. At the ceremony, many well-known individuals among which Bob Hope, Tom Brokaw, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Robert Mueller were present. Gen. Dunwoody was just the person to be given this highly valuable award that stands for “Duty, Honor, Country.”
When Gen. Dunwoody retired, she had four stars on her shoulders which makes her the first woman in history to have achieved this rank. During her 38 years of service she has done so much for America, and we are always thankful for that.
“I grew up in the Army and came from a family who, since 1862, has defended our nation,” she said, speaking to Military Logistic Forum. “My great grandfather, my grandfather, my father, my brother, my sister, my niece, and my husband are all veterans of this country’s wars. My father is a veteran of three wars and is one of the 25 million veterans living today who served the nation with such incredible courage.”
An interesting moment of this incredible woman’s story is that she never planned nor believed that she would spend her whole life as part of the military.
“While I joined the Army right out of college, I planned to only stay in the Army to complete my two-year commitment, but it wasn’t too long before I realized that there are no other shoes [boots] I would rather fill than the ones I am wearing right now. As a soldier, you can continually serve. It is a calling to be a soldier and there is a great sense of pride and camaraderie in serving the greatest Army in the world.”
Somehow, Gen. Dunwoody’s achievement isn’t all about her, but about all the females out there.
Speaking to Army Times, she shares what it feels like to be so successful in a field that was for so many years dominated by men.
“In the military, I had advocates, then there were detractors. They just don’t like you, maybe they think it’s a man’s Army and women don’t belong here. The key is how you deal with people. You don’t stoop to name-calling. You be professional, demonstrate you’re capable and sometimes you convert people. In the military, people want the best leader on the team. They want the best, and we have a profession that’s looking for and rewards that kind of behavior.”
