A2 APG News • Thursday, March 22, 2018 Army vice chief of staff: Women vital to ‘strength of our Army’

By David Vergun Which team was Army News Service your pick for WASHINGTON— History is replete with inspiring examples of female Soldiers who served, said the Army’s vice chief of March Madness? staff. “Today, women are a vital part of the strength of our Army,” said Gen. James C. I’m an underdog McConville, who spoke on Capitol Hill as person. When Uni- part of the 10th Annual U.S. Army Women’s versity of Maryland Summit March12. Baltimore County The general said a female inspired him knocked out Virginia, very early on in his own career. That Iwas on board, but woman, Gale O’Sullivan Dwyer, was his unfortunately, they classmate during high school in Braintree, lost. Massachusetts. Coincidentally, McConville and Dwyer both entered the same class at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Willie Barber New York, he said. “ CPAC At the time, McConville acknowledged that he had some challenges going through the academy. It was Dwyer who inspired

him to persevere, he said, describing her as U.S. ARMY PHOTO BY DAVID VERGUN, ARNEWS alittle over five feet tall and about 100 Gen. James C. McConville, vice chief of staff of the Army, speaks during the 10th Annual pounds but “tough as nails.” U.S. Army Women’s Summit, themed “Army Women: Lead, Network, Grow,” on Capitol Hill, “She had tremendous character and in celebration of Women’s History Month, March 12, 2018. Ihave Duke. Duke resilience, was extremely smart and super always ends up at physically fit,” he said. “She motivated me the top. My team, every day by her presence.” Alabama, went out. Dwyer later wrote a book with the fitting title: “Tough As Nails: One Woman’s Journey Through West Point.” Throughout his career, McConville said he’s seen “hundreds of formations with women, motivating Soldiers left and right.” The vice chief of staff provided another Colvin Bennett account of a female Soldier who inspired “ Retired Army him. When he was a brigade commander in the 1st Cavalry Division in Iraq in April 2004, he said he got a call from the 1st Armored Division, saying that enemy fight- ers were on thevergeof overrunning asmall outpost in Najaf. Fortunately, McConville said he had a Idon’t have a team. team of Apache helicopters available, led by I’m not a basketball Chief Warrant Officer 2 Cindy Rozelle, fan. outside of Baghdad. The helicopter team launched, arrived at Najaf in about 35 minutes, and came in shooting, he related. U.S. ARMY PHOTO BY CADET ALEX WERDEN, USMA “I don’t recall any of those Soldiers Cadet Simone Askew, right, leads her freshmen class on a road march at the U.S. Military whose lives were saved talking about her Academy. In 2017, Askew became the first African-American woman to hold the position gender,” McConville said. “They were just of First Captain of the U.S. Military Academy’s Corps of Cadets. happy to be alive.” sonnel management system focuses on just -- Maj. ; Capt. Kristen Griest; Pfc. Logan Recent milestones two factors: rank and military occupational and 1st Lt. Shaye Haver, are the first women “ Boswell specialty. That’s a very incomplete picture to successfully complete the U.S. Army APHC McConville listed several recent achieve- of Soldiers, each of whom has a unique set . ments made by women in the Army: of knowledge, skills, abilities and aspira- -- Sgt. Heather L. Johnsen (1996); Sgt. -- Last year, Simone Askew became the tions, McConville said. Danyell E. Wilson (1997); Staff Sgt. Tonya D. first African-American woman to hold the He added thatthe Armywants to manage Bell (1998); and Sgt. Ruth Hanks (2017), all position of First Captain of the U.S. Military Soldier talent using as many as 25 variables. served as Army Sentinels at the Tomb of the Academy’s Corps of Cadets. Askew was also Examples of those variables include lan- Unknowns. University of Mary- selected as a Rhodes Scholar. guage skills and foreign experience. -- Retired Maj. Gen. Pat Hickerson paved land Baltimore -- Last fall, six women earned Expert The Army is now getting ready to field the way for women serving in the U.S. Army County. They’re local. Infantry Badges during testing at Fort the Integrated Personnel and Pay System - and in ways that had previously been Bragg, North Carolina. Army, which will, among other things, unheard of. -- By the end of 2017, more than 600 allow the Army to document a much wider -- Retired Brig. Gen. Malinda Dunn, an female Soldiers were in infantry, armor and array of talent than it currently does.A pilot Army judge advocate. artillery positions that only recently opened program in one of the captain’s career -- Retired Command Sgt. Maj. Evelyn to women. courses used this talent management ap- Hollis, the first African-American female -- Today, every infantry, armor and proach, McConville said. command sergeant major of a combat arms artillery battalion in every active-duty The first phase of IPPS-A will be fielded unit. Mark DeVita brigade combat team has women assigned by the Guard this fall and in the active and -- Retired Col. Pat Jernigan, an Army “ ATEC -- up to hundreds in some BCTs. Reserve components next year, he said. women’s advocate who aided in the preser- -- 10 women graduated from Ranger Getting this done right is important, he vation of the history and stories of Army School. emphasized. “The Army is about people, its women. -- 17 percent of the Army, or 174,000 most important weapon system.” He added -- Retired Chief Warrant Officer 4Petrice Soldiers, consists of women. That number that when done right, a talent management McKey-Reese, who served for 30-years as a approaches the active-duty end strength of system that works will encourage good parachute rigger, and the first African- the Marine Corps. people to stay in the Army. American female to be designated a rigger Villanova. I’m a long warrant. time fan. Talent Management Hall of fame inductees -- Barbara Scroggin, the first female All-Army Women’s boxing champion. Now that all military occupational spe- During the 10th Annual Hall of Fame -- Retired Chief Warrant Officer 5 Mary cialties are open to women, it’s more induction ceremony, the U.S. Army Wom- Cara Smalley (posthumous), a pioneer for important than ever that the Army knows en’s Foundation recognized women who women aviation officers, and the first how best to identify and use the talent it has distinguished themselves in service to female regular Army warrant officer and in its workforce. America. Inductees included: aviator to achieve the rank of chief warrant McConville said that talent management -- Retired Brig. Gen. Anna Mae Hays officer 5 in 1995. is about putting the right person in the right (posthumous) served as an Army nurse --Retired Lt. Cols. Yvonne Doll and Ruth Chris Sterling job at the right time. Another part of talent overseas during World War II and led the VanDyke, co-authors of the “Guardians of “ Contractor management is “leveraging the strength of Army Nurse Corps at the height of the Peace” series. diversity,” he said, adding that women are Vietnam War. In 1970 she became the first Some 200 service members, veterans, an important part of that diversity. woman in theU.S. armed forces to attainthe lawmakers and leading employers, at- Unfortunately, the Army’s current per- rank of brigadier general. tended the day’s events.

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