Studies in Command-2: Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody
A woman crashes through the brass ceiling
Vol. 4, Issue No. 67 | December 4, 2008 By Denny Hatch
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IN THE NEWS
Dunwoody becomes first female four-star general
WASHINGTON — Call it breaking the brass ceiling. Ann E. Dunwoody, after 33 years in the Army, ascended Friday to a peak never before reached by a woman in the U.S. military: four-star general. At an emotional promotion ceremony, Dunwoody looked back on her years in uniform and said it was a credit to the Army — and a great surprise to her — that she would make history in a male-dominated military. "Thirty-three years after I took the oath as a second lieutenant, I have to tell you this is not exactly how I envisioned my life unfolding," she told a standing-room-only auditorium crowd. "Even as a young kid, all I ever wanted to do was teach physical education and raise a family. It was clear to me that my Army experience was just going to be a two-year detour en route to my fitness profession," she added. "So when asked, 'Ann, did you ever think you were going to be a general officer, to say nothing about a four-star?' I say, 'Not in my wildest dreams.'"
—Robert Burns, military writer, Associated Press, Nov. 14, 2008
WASHINGTON - For more than a decade, Lt. General Ann E. Dunwoody has delighted in leaping through the doors of military planes and plunging into the night with a parachute on her back.
A master parachutist and a former battalion commander, Gen. Dunwoody handled logistics for the 82nd Airborne Division in Saudi Arabia during the first gulf war. As a three-star general, she has flown to Afghanistan and Iraq to ensure the steady flow of ammunition, tanks and fuel to the troops.
But one of the biggest joys of her 33-year military career has been jumping out of airplanes and into roles previously unimaginable to generations of women in the Army. Last week, President Bush asked General Dunwoody to take over a new Army command as a four-star general. If confirmed by the Senate, she will become the first woman in the armed services to achieve that rank.
“A woman four-star general,” I thought. “WOW!”
I was a two-year draftee in 1958-1960. I thought the Army was great.
I think it’s even better now that it has its first woman four-star general.
The Army in 1958
Fifty years ago, old traditions ran deep. When I was in the Army:
- No officer in uniform was allowed to be seen pushing a baby carriage.
- Officers in uniform were not allowed to carry an open umbrella in the rain.
- When an Army base-wide event was scheduled, invitations to all were worded, “The Officers and Their Ladies and The Non-Commissioned Officers and Wives Are Invited ...”
- Women in the Army were known as WACs (Women’s Army Corps) or WAACs (Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps). Their counterparts were Navy WAVES (“Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service”), and the United States Marine Corps Women's Reserve (USMCWR). In World War II, the British had the WAAFs—Women’s Auxiliary Air Force. Women were not real soldiers, sailors or marines. They were “auxiliary” or “reserves”—secretaries, stenos, gophers, nurses, assistants and aides.
The idea that a woman could become a general—let alone a four-star general—was unthinkable. The first female American general officer was Anna Mae Hays, chief of the Army Nurse Corps, appointed in 1970. Currently, 21 women general officers serve in the Army, of whom 17 hold the rank of brigadier or one-star.
Takeaway Points to Consider
- What happens when a person joins your organization? Is some sort of mentoring system in place, or is the newbie shown a desk, phone and computer, then thrown to the wolves?
- If no one has time to spend with a new associate, are you not setting that person up for failure?
- “Whoever knows only one direct marketing skill, whether it’s art direction, copywriting or list management, does not even know that properly.”
—Martin Gross - Are your associates—superiors, colleagues and subordinates—conversant with all areas of your business? For example, has a bean counter ever gone on a sales call? Have any of your sales people sat in on a budget meeting? If not, why not?
- Finally, consider Gen. Ann Dunwoody’s 33 years in study and preparation for this extraordinary responsibility vs. Barack Obama, who has 75 days to grow into the presidency.
Web Sites Related to Today's Edition
Dunwoody Promotion Story
http://tinyurl.com/6rhsjz
Dunwoody Promotion Ceremony—47:31 minutes
http://tinyurl.com/6g646y
Transcript of Dunwoody Speech
http://tinyurl.com/6elonf
Dunwoody's First Press Conference
http://cspanjunkie.org/?p=1098
Ann Dunwoody’s Career—Official Biography
http://tinyurl.com/6abgm6
Carly Fiorina claims candidates incapable of running a company
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnBXXssj0KY
Companies Mentioned:
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