Associated Press is reporting that for the first time in history, a woman has been chosen for promotion to full general!
Nominated by President Bush, and if confirmed by the Senate, Lt. Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody would head the Army Materiel Command, responsible for equipping, outfitting and arming soldiers throughout the Army. She would become the first woman to be one of only 11 active-duty four-stars allowed by law, including the Army chief of staff, Gen. George Casey.
This may be the only thing Bush has done in his entire term that I approve of!
More female kick-assery after the jump!
Regardless of how you feel about the military, this is a phenomenal milestone worthy of celebration! Currently, Dunwoody is one of only two female three-stars in the Army; the other is Lt. Gen. Kathleen Gainey, director of logistics on the Joint Staff.
If the glass ceiling is tough to crack in civilian life, it has often seemed to be made of a unbreakbable plexiglass when it comes to equality in the military.
Part of the reason for this, according to AP:
Women haven't reached four-star rank because by law they are excluded from serving in combat roles, which historically have been the path to the highest-ranking positions. That exclusion still applies, but with Dunwoody the Army has chosen to cast aside its customary limitations on promotion.
"Her 33 years of service, highlighted by extraordinary leadership and devotion to duty, make her exceptionally qualified for this senior position," Defense Secretary Robert Gates said in a statement.
A native of New York who she received her Army commission after graduating from the State University of New York in 1975, Dunwoody currently is deputy commander of Army Materiel Command.
"I am very honored but also very humbled today with this announcement," Dunwoody said. "I grew up in a family that didn't know what glass ceilings were. This nomination only reaffirms what I have known to be true about the military throughout my career — that the doors continue to open for men and women in uniform."
BOO-YAH!
UPDATE- Here's a picture of the soon-to-be highest ranking female officer in the nation: