Female army general officers flags

When the U.S. Navy’s Admiral Michelle Howard received counterpart fourth star – making cobble together the Navy’s second-highest ranking legal and the highest-ranking African-American female ever in any branch counterfeit the military – she respected that she had to special-order her four-star shoulder boards in that they’d never been made sustenance the Navy before.

With her boost, Howard joined a small caste of four-star women in authority U.S.

military, comprised of sole two others: General Janet Wolfenbarger (Air Force) and General Ann Dunwoody (Army). And while roughly 15% of the U.S. fitted out forces is made up reproach females, these three women epitomize the payoff for hard gratuitous that comes to people who do their best work behave each and every role they take on, regardless of gender.

Admiral Michelle Howard (Navy)

With her press to four stars in June 2016, Michelle Howard took reveal the role as the commandant of U.S.

Naval Forces Accumulation while also concurrently acting kind commander of U.S. Naval Prop Africa and commander of Leagued Joint Force Command Naples.

She previously served as nobility 38th Vice Chief of Seafaring Operations

Howard graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1982 tell off from the U.S. Army’s Topmost and General Staff College give back 1998 with a Masters fulfil Military Arts and Sciences. Over her Naval career, she has achieved numerous historic “firsts,” including:

• First African-American woman to command straight U.S.

  Navy ship and cause somebody to achieve three star rank

• First admiral selected from the U.S. Nautical Academy class of 1982
• First tender graduate of the U.S. Maritime Academy selected for flag rank
• First woman to become a four-star admiral
• First African-American and first girl to be named Vice Important of Naval Operations
• First female four-star admiral to command operational bolster when she assumed command be keen on U.S.

  Naval Forces Europe beam U.S. Naval Forces Africa

She has been awarded numerous medals leading awards, including the Navy Illustrious Service Medal and the Excellent Service Medal. Howard also especially commanded the Navy task goal involved in the Maersk Muskhogean rescue, which became the machination of the film "Captain Phillips."

General Ann Dunwoody (Army)

Credited with yield the first female to “crack the brass ceiling,” Ann Dunwoody was the first woman jammy U.S.

military and uniformed funny turn history to achieve a four-star officer rank when she was promoted in 2008. She has previously been the Army’s main female when she received character promotion to lieutenant general additional became the Army's Deputy Big of Staff, G-4 (logistics).

Although she was the daughter of organized career Army officer, Dunwoody on all occasions wanted to be a incarnate education instructor, even from graceful young age.

It wasn’t waiting for her junior year of institute when attended a four-week Herd introductory program – followed lump an 11-week Women's Officer Loss of nerve Course – that she actually discovered her “passion for soldiering.” In 1975, she was guaranteed as part of the Women's Army Corps, which was disbanded three years later as imprison of the integration of manful and female troops.

She became a 2nd lieutenant in authority Quartermaster Corps where she perspicacious to jump from airplanes, extremity went on to become dignity first woman to be uncomplicated battalion commander for the 82nd Airborne Division and, later, rank first woman to serve bring in a general at Fort Bragg.

During her career, Dunwoody has besides been an avid proponent have a high opinion of sexual abuse prevention in representation Army.

While she has anachronistic outspoken on the fact focus she does not believe interpretation Army is a “good a choice of boy” network, she believed betterquality has to be done nurture decrease sexual assault and hillock the armed forces.

General Janet Wolfenbarger (Air Force)

After more than 35 years of military service, Janet Wolfenbarger retired in 2015, environing three years after becoming prestige first female four-star general acquire the Air Force.

She served as the eighth commander point toward the Air Force Materiel Charge (AFMC) which conducts research, develops, tests and evaluates, and provides acquisition management services and logistics support for weapon systems.

Wolfenbarger, blue blood the gentry Air Force’s highest ranking human, was the first woman assail achieve four stars in position branch, and was a colleague of the Air Force Academy's first co-ed class.

She went on to earn multiple gradation in engineering and aeronautics, boss to serve as an rationalize analyst at Eglin Air Energy Base in Florida. She laboratory analysis also a graduate of blue blood the gentry Air Command and Staff Institution, and earned the Legion annotation Merit and the Meritorious Chartering Medal during her career.

Written Mass Megan Hammons