She’s earned this promotion

Monday, June 30, 2008 | 2:06 a.m.

U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody was nominated last week for a fourth star. With Senate confirmation, she would become the first female four-star general in the nation’s history.

Dunwoody was nominated for the promotion so she could become the commanding general of the Army Materiel Command, which is responsible for outfitting and arming U.S. troops worldwide. Federal law allows the Army only 11 active-duty four-star generals — one of them being the Army chief of staff.

Traditionally, becoming a full general has required a series of combat roles in which women are not allowed to serve. But Dunwoody’s “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 when Dunwoody’s nomination was announced last Monday.

The military counts 57 female admirals and generals among its officers, five of whom are three-star generals, the Los Angeles Times reported. Dunwoody’s promotion could serve as a precedent, giving these women hope for a fourth star.

The New York native told the Associated Press she is “very honored but also very humbled” by the proposed promotion. She noted that she comes from a long line of Army officers dating back to her great-grandfather. “I grew up in a family that didn’t know what glass ceilings were,” she said. Dunwoody, a logistics expert, is a veteran of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

Owing to Dunwoody’s hard work and dedication to duty, girls and young women now considering careers in the military will know there is a possibility they could rise all the way to the top.

The Senate has not set a date for Dunwoody’s confirmation hearing, but we trust it will do the right thing and promote her to the position she has earned.