FIRST WOMAN RECEIVES 4 STARS
GEN Ann E. Dunwoody promoted to 4-star general Nov. 14, 2008

	GEN Ann E. Dunwoody became the first woman four-star general during a promotion ceremony Nov. 14, 2008, at the Pentagon. US Army Photo.

"I didn't appreciate the enormity of the event until the tidal waves of cards, letters and emails started coming my way," said the now highest-ranking servicewoman in American history, Army GEN Ann E. Dunwoody, about her historic promotion to four-star general during a Nov. 14 promotion ceremony at the Pentagon.

President Bush nominated then LTG Dunwoody for the promotion June 23, 2008. She was confirmed by the US Senate in July. Since her promotion, GEN Dunwoody has taken command of the Army Materiel Command (AMC) at Ft Belvoir, VA. Ft Belvoir is not only the place of her birth but also the site of AMC, where she is in charge of the more than 56,000 soldiers and civilians who provide equipment, outfitting and arms—including everything from weapons to meals—to the Army. (You can read more about her promotion on the Department of Defense Web site.)

A DoD release issued at the time of GEN Dunwoody’s nomination noted that there were 56 other active duty and 47 reserve servicewomen who are among the general and flag officer ranks. The Army now has 21 women general officers. By law, the Army is limited to 11 total active-duty, four-star generals, one of whom is now a woman

	Army GEN Ann Dunwoody was a special guest of the Women's Memorial during the 10th Anniversary celebration to unveil a glass tablet. Joining LTG Dunwoody were Acting Secretary of VA Gordon Mansfield and Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Women's Memorial Foundation Photo.

GEN Dunwoody, the first to break the so-called "brass ceiling"—a milestone that generations of servicewomen, and servicemen, have been waiting to witness—realized the signifiance to women as she read the congratulations pouring in about the promotion. "I've heard from men and women from every branch of service, from every region of our country and every corner of the world. I've heard from moms and dads who see this promotion as a beacon of hope for their own daughters and an affirmation that anything is possible through hard work and commitment," GEN Dunwoody said.

The promotion is perhaps most special, she added, to the women who served before and with her, women whose service and devotion helped the pathway GEN Dunwoody traveled to a four-star promotion. "I've heard from women veterans of all wars, many who just wanted to say congratulations, some who just wanted to say thanks and still others who just wanted to say that they were so happy this day had finally come," GEN Dunwoody said. "To all of them, I owe a very special thanks for their dedication, for their commitment and for paving the way. And, I know it might sound trite, but for me this day is all about two single words, 'Thank You!'"

Commissioned into the Women's Army Corps in 1975, GEN Dunwoody has served 33 years in the Army, beginning with a maintenance company at Ft Sill, OK. She hails from a family that has served the Army for five generations, from her great-grandfather to her niece.

	GEN Ann E. Dudwoody is a charter member of the Women's Memorial (above). Women's Memorial Registration.

A charter member of the Women's Memorial, GEN Dunwoody’s command assignments have included Commanding General of 782nd Main Support Battalion, 82nd Airborne, Ft Bragg, NC; Division Support Command, 10th Mountain Division (Light), Ft Drum, NY; 1st Corps Support Command, XVIII Airborne Corps, Ft. Bragg, NC; Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command, Alexandria, VA; and Combined Arms Support Command, Ft. Lee, VA. She served as the Army’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, and Deputy Commander of AMC, Ft Belvoir, VA, before becoming Commander of AMC, Ft Belvoir.

GEN Dunwoody's long and distinguished list of military decorations, include the Distinguished Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal and the Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters. She is also among the small but growing number of servicewomen who have earned a Master Parachutist Badge and Parachutist Rigger Badge.

"My whole career was kind of the first of my generation, because women had not been down those roads before," GEN Dunwoody told the Pentagon crowd Nov. 14. While she is honored to be the first woman to achieve the four-star rank, GEN Dunwoody added that she knows, "with certainty that I won’t be the last."

(December 2008)