4-star General, Ann Dunwoody

Congratulations to New Yorker (and fellow ROTC Grad!) Ann E. Dunwoody (Wikipedia bio, because the Army hasn't quite figured out how to organize flag officer bios), who smashed the "brass" ceiling to become the first female to earn the rank of full general (four stars) in the history of the greatest fighting forces that have graced this planet:

Dunwoody becomes first female four-star general

Nov 14 01:48 PM US/Eastern
By ROBERT BURNS
AP Military Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - 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, 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. "Even as a young kid, all I ever wanted to do was teach physical education and raise a family. (link)

In a male-dominated military that still makes things incredibly tough on women (and where I was often shocked to see that women are often the biggest hurdles faced by other women), today's a banner day. We all must accept that the armed forces will always be as imperfect as the people that comprise them. That said, for all the flaws of the military, it is great to see the military lead the way in yet another barrier shattered.

This week on Imus, CBS News anchor Bob Schieffer spoke of race relations in America and mentioned that having grown up in the segregated South, he hadn't so much as shaken hands with a black person (for lack of opportunity, not for lack of character) until he was in the Air Force. While this was a secondary point as he was trying to explain how far we've come as a nation, I couldn't help but take great pride in the fact that it was the egalitarian world of Air Force that exposed generations of Americans like Schieffer to the fact that we're all equal.

On this note, kudos to the Air Force on this recent Roll Call piece regarding the importance of diversity in uniform: (Link).