DECEMBER 24, 2021 — Women in the Army continued to make history in 2021. The first woman graduated from the Army Sniper School, the service confirmed its first female Army secretary and promoted its first female to be inspector general of the Army. Additionally, the service announced that a woman led Army Rangers in combat for the first time.
The nation’s largest military branch strengthened its focus on its people and commitment to helping sexual harassment and assault victims and also honored the fallen on the 20th anniversary of 9/11.
The Army News service revisits the top stories on the Army’s people focus in 2021.
Women make milestones
Christine E. Wormuth was sworn in as the 25th Secretary of the Army on May 27 by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. Wormuth, the first female to be named to the service’s highest civilian position, previously served as the Rand Corporation’s International Defense and Security Center director.
Lt. Gen. Donna Martin became the first female Inspector General of the Army on Sept. 2. Prior to her promotion, Martin served as provost marshal general and helped restructure the Army Criminal Investigation Division.
The service revealed that Capt. Shaina Coss become the first woman to lead Army Rangers during a 2019 deployment to Afghanistan where she commanded an infantry rifle platoon. Coss, an infantry officer and West Point alum, also was among the first 10 women to graduate from the Army Ranger School at Fort Benning, Georgia.
An enlisted Soldier from the Montana National Guard became the first female to graduate from the Army’s Sniper School at Fort Benning on Nov. 5. The unnamed Soldier, who enlisted into the Army in December 2020, first completed the 22-week One Station Unit Training where she impressed instructors with her high performance in shooting.
Her chain of command then recommended her to take the seven-week sniper school. In September, she began the sniper training which included expert shooter qualification and learning long range precision fire.
The Army had its first all-female changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. The occasion marked the first time in 84 years that entirely women took part in the event, where the guards who watch over the tomb perform a ceremony.
Sentinels stand watch around the tomb, which pays homage to unidentified Soldiers from each U.S. conflict year-round.
SHARP updates
The Army announced that it would revamp its Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention program to better serve the needs of victims.
The service reported in October that it will test a one-year pilot program of a fusion directorate that has been structured to empower and care for victims. Under the model, the coordination of investigators, care providers and prosecutors will be led by a single entity that will operate outside of a victim’s chain of command.
The announced SHARP redesign will be informed by the Army’s People First Task Force, an initiative created by Army leadership last year to address harmful behaviors and issues in the Fort Hood Independent Report.
Under a new Army policy, Department of the Army civilians can now receive SHARP services. Previously, only civilians in certain deployed locations had access to some SHARP resources.
Now all civilians have the option of unrestricted case reporting by meeting with sexual assault response coordinators, victim advocates or victim representatives.
New grooming standards
In an effort to foster more inclusivity in its ranks, the Army updated its grooming standards, particularly for female Soldiers.
Female Soldiers now have more flexibility in hair length, hair styles and in how they tie their hair. The updated standards allow women with longer hair to tie it in a ponytail if the strands have grown too long to tie in a bun. The service will allow all hair styles that maintain a professional appearance and do not impede a Soldier from wearing military headgear.
Soldiers may now wear highlights in their hair as long as they use natural colors and maintain a professional look. There will also be no minimum hair length for all Soldiers and females will be allowed to wear earrings with their combat uniform.
Additional colors for lipstick and nail polish have been added for women, while men will be allowed to wear clear nail polish to help protect fingers from wear and tear.
9/11 Remembered
To honor and recognize the people who lost their lives on 9/11, the Army reiterated its commitment to Patriot Day on the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks in September.
Among the 3,000 who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001 were 75 Soldiers and Army civilians.
The Army, the National Guard, and Army Reserve played a crucial role in the 9/11 rescue efforts. National Guard members provided traffic control and security in New York City and Soldiers helped rescue victims at the Pentagon.
Olympic and Paralympic milestones
Amber English became the only Army World Class Athlete to win an Olympic gold medal for the United States at the 2021 Summer Games when she set a new Olympic record in women’s skeet shooting.
The first lieutenant from Colorado Springs hit 56 out of 60 targets to place first after connecting on 121 of 125 targets during the two-day qualifying rounds.
In last summer’s 2021 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, Sgt. 1st Class Elizabeth marks added more accolades to her decorated Paralympic career.
Marks won a gold medal in the 100 meter backstroke, breaking the world record with a time of 1:19.57. Marks, an Army medic, also added silver and bronze medals to her Paralympic resume.
By Joe Lacdan, Army News Service