Cool thing about an airwing CO is that they have no clue about snake eatin' and tend to stay in the office until the kegs come out. Beauty!
She sounds like a capable leader, and is likely tough physically as well as mentally. The number of women who can do a job like this is limited, but in my experience those who are chosen get no special breaks and are every bit the equal of their male counterparts.
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The email I received from the NYT was entitled "They never treated me differently ", but that doesn't refer to the army, the statement refers only to her mentors, to the people who treated her as a person and supported her in her career. There is no way that in all her career in the military she was never discriminated against in any way by anyone. Pretending that is the case is a terrible disservice to all the women who are victims of harassment and discrimination. The logic goes "if she could get there with no problem, discrimination doesn't exist and you are just a whiner".
Of course she won't be talking about the negatives! She is a general and is responsible for the image of the military. What would you expect, a list of all her grievances?
It is quite interesting that when there was a study of women who reached a leadership position, what they had in common was that they had never showed anger in public. They also probably gritted their teeth every time a man explained what she meant, or her comment was ignored only to become key when a man repeated the same thing minutes later, or the many other ways, big and small, that women are discriminated against.
I've talked with many women in positions of power. If you get them in private, they will tell you horrifying stories. However, if you utter the word discrimination, they will nervously look around and beg you to be quiet. They know that no matter how true, if you say it once, your career is over.
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Nature intended women to be nurturers not killers.
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No wonder no one messed with Laura Yeager on her path to the top. With a father who's a General and who's husband's a Col who'd be foolish enough to mess with her??
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Maybe more women generals, and the Army might win a war. Haven't won one since 1945.
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Well done, Gen. Yeager!
Hopefully, this will make it easier for other women to follow in her footsteps at the National Guard.
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Fantastic! Congratulations!!
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Why do we still tolerate separate but equal sports teams? Separate is inherently unequal. Shameful that women demand their own monopoly.
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@Shamrock
In sports we also separate people by age, and even by weight, as well as (dis)ability. We even separate them by status and pay (professional or amateur, college student...) so please, don't be facetious.
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@MR
Women demand equal play for playing in their monopoly. That’s not justice or equality. Special Olympics and college players don’t demand equal pay. I read in the Times every week women are equal in athletic ability.
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Precious comment should have read :
"who is to command a combat infantry division".
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Congratulations, General!!!
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This General does not have a Combat Infantry Badge (CIB).
This is a huge issue is some one who is to combat an infantry division.
The CIB can only be award to some one who has an infantry MOS of 11B and who spends a minimum of 30 days in a combat zone.
She may be a great pilot but she not Infantry!
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@Paladin660 Eisenhower never had one either. I think he did just fine as a leader
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@Paladin660 Former Army Chief of Staff General Gordon Sullivan commanded the 1st Infantry Division and Raymond Odierno, another former Army Chief of Staff, commanded the 4th Infantry Division. Neither of these gentlemen had a CIB as Sullivan was an Armor officer and Odierno was an Artillery officer before they became General Officers. There are many other examples of Armor, Artillery, and Aviation Branch officers who went on to command Infantry Divisions after they became General Officers.
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@Paladin660
Typo correction -- Cav scout is 19 Delta, not 11. The company clerk will pull extra duty for the error. :)
Being a helicopter pilot has zero relationship to commanding an infantry division even a National Guard unit. General Grant will be rolling over. More PC nonsense.
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@Sergeant Bilko
What a narrow minded comment.
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@Sergeant Bilko
Command is command; anybody who's worn the suit knows that. Were I to put money on it, my coins would go on the BG.
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@Sergeant Bilko Helicopter pilots (i.e. Army Aviators) frequently serve as the Commanding General of the 101st Airborne Division, one of the leading divisions in the U.S. Army.
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Hard to discern the difference between the U.S. Army and the CA National Guard from this story. I though they are 2 distinct and separate organizations, not "blended". Confusing to an army vet.
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@Slann Once active duty is over you can decide to do either. There are pros and cons for each person's situation on which path you choose
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During the 1960s when I served in the Army Signal Corps., women only did clerical jobs and were also nurses. To read about a woman leading an infantry division as a General is quite refreshing. Congratulations General Yeager.
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Congratulations to General Yeager, she makes her family, the services and the country proud. I wish her the very best in her future career.
I am particularly grateful to the army that General Yeager achieved her position without experiencing discrimination. Based on the description of her career, she also appears to have achieved it without affirmative action.
I’m curious to know if General Yeager is related to General Chuck Yeager. I see that her maiden name is Brandt (I see that her father Robert was a major general; quite a family!), but perhaps her husband is related to the former General.
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@Shiv
She says her MENTORS treated her equally. I'm sure she has some stories, not that she is going to make them public. She is smarter than that.
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It's about time!
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"Brig. Gen. Laura Yeager, a decorated helicopter pilot who navigated a narrow path to leadership, will take command of the 40th Infantry Division in the California National Guard"
No problems with women commanding. I was just wondering though how a helicopter pilot ends up commanding Infantry. As far as I know, and perhaps I am ignorant of pertinent reality and practice, Infantry commanders usually come from Infantry or from very closely related branches of service.
But if the California National Guard is OK with that, congratulations to Gen. Yeager.
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A General Officer will command units of such size that the units in question will invariably be composed of units of multiple types, e.g. infantry, aviation, logistics, etc. Indeed it’s no accident that a General Officer is called a “General”: they no longer hold specialized commands, but general commands.
While historically most general officers have come from the infantry — since that is the largest part of the Army and the part most likely to get combat experience, which is vital for promotion to higher ranks — it is not unusual for a general originally from the infantry to command an armored division, or an infantry division to be commanded by a General originally from the field artillery, or in this case from helicopter aviation.
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@Amanda Tait Correct. General Eisenhower, commander in chief of the Allied Forces in Europe during and after the invasion, was calvary, not infantry.
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@Amanda Tait Spot on, Amanda.
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Excellent. Wars today aren't fought hand to hand.
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@Ernest Montague Even if they were, general officers do not fight with their hands, they fight with their brains. Gender and physical strength has nothing to do with intelligence and leadership ability.
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@Aaron Exactly.
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@Ernest Montague
You may be surprised at the physical requirements of serving in the infantry, including closing with the enemy and killing up close. That said, THREE CHEERS for General Yeager.
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Congratulations to General Yeager on her promotion!
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