The Shriver Report – Sometimes the Best Man for the Job is a Woman: A Retired Army Colonel’s Tales
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Sometimes the Best Man for the Job is a Woman: A Retired Army Colonel’s Tales
Jill Morgenthaler with an Iraqi soldier.

Jill Morgenthaler with an Iraqi soldier.

In 1972, with the military draft ending but the nation still at war, few men were choosing to volunteer for service.  The Army, Air Force and Navy decided to experiment by desegregating officer training and letting women train equally with men.  Women have always served in the military but in segregated units without the training men received.  Separate but not equal.

In 1972, four years before West Point accepted women, the Pentagon selected ten universities for the experiment.  My college, Penn State, was one of them.

One morning, I walked into the Reserved Officers Training Corps (ROTC) building, applied for a four-year Army scholarship, and signed up for the experimental class.  Shortly after, I received the scholarship.  Many military men were furious about the experiment because they believed the military would be “sissified,” and communism would win.  These men did not want to train with or follow women.  They let us know it.

In the summer of 1975, I reported to Fort Bragg, North Carolina for officer training boot camp.  ROTC cadets came together to learn leadership under wartime scenarios.  Eighty-three women cadets reported along with 500 male cadets on a post with close to 50,000 male soldiers.  Many of the officers and Non-commissioned officers went after us women with a vengeance.  We were called bitches, butches and bimbos, and that was just the letter B.

“I stood proud and took it because my father, a career Marine Officer, had warned me that the men were determined to make me cry, break me down, and get me to quit.  Dad told me to never forget why I was doing this.” 

I stood proud and took it because my father, a career Marine Officer, had warned me that the men were determined to make me cry, break me down, and get me to quit.  Dad told me to never forget why I was doing this.  Therefore, every time a soldier called me names, I reminded myself that I was there to save lives and bring freedom.  Every time an officer tried to humiliate me, I reminded myself that I was there to save lives and bring freedom.  Saving lives and bringing freedom became my mantra, and stayed with me through my thirty years of service.

That summer I learned that I had skills that the guys lacked, and those skills could keep us “alive.”  One day, my team of men and I were on patrol.  We knew the enemy may “attack” at any time.  All of a sudden, the woods got eerily quiet – no birds, no frogs, and no crickets.  I knew the enemy must be close.  Pointing my M-14 rifle, I looked around, I looked up, I looked down.  I spotted a pair of blue eyes peering out of a bush on the ground.  I yelled “Sniper!”  We had a mock battle.  Afterwards, the camouflage soldier came up to me and told me that I was the only cadet to spot him.  I laughed.  I said, “You obviously have never seen me shopping!  I can spot a bargain across the mall at 300 meters.”  Women, we have our talents.  Don’t hide them under a bush!

A few years later in 1980, I was a captain stationed in West Berlin. (

After WWII, the Allies and Soviet Union divided Germany in half.  West Germany practiced democracy while East Germany was a communist state.  Berlin was split between East Germany and West Germany by the Berlin Wall, and was surrounded by communist Eastern Europe.) The Soviet war in Afghanistan was just starting, and the Pentagon had drawn up war plans in case the US decided to attack the Soviets.  Meanwhile, the Soviets were trying as hard as they could to learn about the United States’ military plans.  Spy games abounded. Once again, I was able to prove that women have useful skills that shouldn’t be overlooked.

One day I went to my quarters for lunch, and bumped into an infantry captain and lieutenant who ran the post office.  I sat down with the two men and we began chatting.  At one point, the lieutenant asked if I wanted Soviet souvenirs.

I declined because I had enough Soviet belt buckles. You see, when we went through the checkpoints to leave West Berlin, if one put a Playboy Magazine on the windshield, the Soviets would take the Playboy and leave a belt buckle.

But he said, “I’m not talking about belt buckles.  I can get you Soviet fur hats and fur coats.”

My antennae went up. How could he get me those Soviet items? What would the Soviets want in exchange from a lieutenant who runs the Post Office?  He didn’t know our war plans.

“You can’t get me a fur coat,” I said teasingly.

But he persisted. He said he could  also get me antiques that the Germans took from the Turks and the Greeks. This surprised me more. Again I wondered, what would the Soviets want from a postal clerk?  He didn’t know troop formations.

“Really?”  I asked, batting my baby blues.  “What else can you get me?”

“I can get you original paintings, and wined and dined.” Then he added, “They’re going to give my brother a tour of Eastern Europe.”

I continued mildly flirting as I probed. “What does your brother do?”

“He’s a satellite engineer.”

BINGO! Through my careful questioning, I had finally put two-and-two together. I knew why the Soviets were interested in the postal clerk.

Giving him my biggest smile, I said I had to go and ran off. As soon as I was out of sight, I dashed to the headquarters and burst into the colonel’s office, exclaiming, “Sir, you are not going to believe what the Soviets are doing! They are about to kidnap an American satellite engineer!”

“We all have skills, strengths and talents. Don’t be afraid to use yours.”

The colonel was on the phone immediately.  That afternoon, military intelligence swept up the lieutenant.  Back in the US, the FBI swept up his brother.  And I, in the words of my children—and I admit, my children are biased—saved the Western world. The men who thought the presence of women would cause us to lose to the Communists were proved wrong. Sometimes, the right man for the job is a woman!

One of the biggest lessons I learned through these two experiences and countless others throughout my military career, is that there are no weakest links. We all have skills, strengths and talents. Don’t be afraid to use yours.

 

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Jill Morgenthaler is a Reporter for The Shriver Report.
Retired Colonel Jill Morgenthaler is a woman of many firsts. When Morgenthaler entered the Army, only 3% of the leaders were women. Her capability, confidence, and compassion shown during war and peacekeeping operations opened the door for other women. Today, Colonel Jill is a professional speaker, thrilling national and international audiences with her showdown with Saddam Hussein and leadership how-to’s.
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