Ann E. Dunwoody

Ann E. Dunwoody became the first woman to be named a four-star general in the U.S. Military on November 14, 2008. She assumed command of the U.S. Army Materiel Command on the same day, a job that puts her in charge of 55,000 people in 149 locations worldwide. She was nominated by George W. Bush in June 2008 and the nomination was approved by the U.S. Senate.

When Dunwoody began her military career, she reportedly stated that it was not how she saw her life unfolding. She told a filled auditorium that she had only planned to spend two years in the Army and then pursue a career teaching physical education.¹

Career

Upon graduating college in 1975, Dunwoody was directly commissioned to the position of second lieutenant in the U.S. Army.² From 1990 to 1991, she served in Saudi Arabia as a parachute officer for the 82nd Airborne. Dunwoody has served as Deputy Chief of Staff for G-4, the Army's logistics branch. In 2000, she became Fort Bragg's first female general when she took command of the 1st Corps Support Command.³

Quote

"I am very honored but also very humbled today with this announcement. 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."— Dunwoody, after hearing of her nomination²