First-ever Female 4-Star General in the US Army Shares Her Best Insights and Advice

Despite retiring in 2012, Army General Ann Elizabeth Dunwoody is still making waves. On Oct. 10, 2019, Dunwoody, the first woman ever to become a four-star general in the United States military, was honored with a new award.

Dunwoody received the Thayer Award in a ceremony held at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York. The Army general’s long-lasting dedication to the Academy’s motto, “Duty, Honor, Country,” was recognized by her peers; the prestigious award was presented by West Point’s Association of Graduates.

In her acceptance speech, Dunwoody acknowledged service to the U.S. Army as a “noble” and “very important” profession. “I believe that if [cadets] find their passion in the military, then there will be no better organization,” Dunwoody shared with USMA.

“It is valued-based,” she explained, “and has all of the tools to make a difference and an impact on the world in any capacity.”

Dunwoody represents the fourth generation of military service people in her family; her great-grandfather, grandfather, father, and brother are all West Point graduates. However, the female general’s enrollment in the Army occurred quite by accident.

Born in 1953 at the Fort Belvoir Military Base in Virginia, one of Dunwoody’s aspirations since early childhood was to become a sports coach. “I always dreamed that I was going to be a coach and a physical education teacher,” she told Army Times. “That’s what I knew I wanted to be.”

Dunwoody's 4th star pinning by Chief of Staff General George W. Casey (L) and her husband, Craig Brotchie, (R) at the Pentagon, 2008 ©Wikimedia Commons | Defense Department photo/Petty Officer 2nd Class Molly A. Burgess

She was commissioned through a college program aimed at recruiting women in the wake of the Vietnam War. In exchange for a college education at the State University of New York College at Cortland, Dunwoody gave the Army two years of loyal service. But that was only the beginning.

The program paid Dunwoody $500 a month during her senior year in college and earned her a commission as a second lieutenant. “I'd never considered the Army,” she admitted. “But when they offered this opportunity, I signed up, and two [years] turned into five, turned into 10, turned into forever.”

When asked to share her best advice with the West Point cadets in their Mess Hall on Oct. 10, Dunwoody responded, “Come to work trying to make things better for the troops and find ways to make their lives better. Try to keep that on your radar screen.

“Always do the right thing, every day, for the right reason,” Dunwoody continued. “It may sound like it’s easy, but it’s not. It doesn’t matter if you’re a platoon leader or a battalion commander ... or a four-star general.”

On June 23, 2008, it was President George W. Bush who nominated Dunwoody for her history-making four-star upgrade within the United States Army, the first time a female had ever achieved that rank.

And Dunwoody’s latest accolade, the Thayer Award, is named after the “father” of the West Point Military Academy, Colonel Sylvanus Thayer.

Thayer was an early leader of the Academy whose service exemplified their values and traditions. According to Army Times, past recipients of the award include Dwight D. Eisenhower, Bob Hope, Tom Brokaw, Robert Mueller, and Leon Panetta.

Dunwoody served in the military for a total of 37 years. Before her retirement, one of her most notable achievements was fronting the Army Materiel Command (AMC), the largest global logistics command in the United States Army.

The AMC employs over 69,000 people across all 50 states and 145 countries. Among Dunwoody’s duties was managing a budget of over $60 billion.

Among Dunwoody’s own personal career highlights was a role assigned to her in 1975. She was named the first female parachute commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, during which time she was, quite literally, “paid to jump out of planes.”

“I was thrilled when I got selected,” the retired general told USMA. “It didn’t happen much for women back then in the army, so it was a very exciting and enjoyable job. It’s the stand-out, in my mind.”

Since retiring, Dunwoody has penned a book expounding her work ethic and personal philosophy, titled A Higher Standard: Leadership Strategies from America’s First Female Four-Star General. Published in 2015, the book shares the highs and lows of Dunwoody’s career and the myriad lessons she learned along the way.

Dunwoody revealed to Army Times that she had never planned on writing a book. “People kept asking me when I was going to,” she explained, “and I thought about it and realized I really have a wonderful story to share.

“It was more work than I thought. I think it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but I’ve gotten really positive reactions.”

Most people’s perceptions, the retired army general admitted, were that a woman must have had to claw her way to the top in a male-dominated profession. “That wasn’t the way at all,” Dunwoody revealed. “It was a wonderful journey.”