Beginning today, Commander Sgt. Maj. Teresa L. King will be the first woman ever to hold the position of top drill Sergeant (you know, the ones in the movies always yelling and spitting and telling soldiers to drop and give them fifty?)
The Army has consolidated it's drill schools to a single location (Fort Jackson, SC)... and guess who's in charge there? That's right, Sergeant Major King. Meaning? King will be in charge of drill training for the entire Army - that formative time which is make or break for a soldier.
King's ascent is a big step for female army personnel as positions of power in the Army have frequently alluded women. One reason may be the fact that women are still prohibited from serving in frontline combat (including Sgt. Maj. King). In addition to this, The New York Times reports that "Just 8 percent of the active-duty Army’s highest-ranking enlisted soldiers — sergeants major and command sergeants major — are women, though more than 13 percent of Army personnel are female."
While King's promotion is pushing gender boundaries, her own mentality may still be a bit prohibitive. She is quoted as saying that while she believes women should be allowed onto the frontline of battle, she doesn't think most women capable of meeting the standards required of male soldiers. King herself has met those standards (which include physical training tests of strength and endurance).
King has said that one of her priorities will be to recruit more women into her school. Let's hope that she has the foresight to believe her female recruits capable of achieving everything their male counterparts can achieve. Because if there's any evidence that women can do everything men can do, it's King's own journey to the top.
