In June 2019, two-star Major General Laura Yeager became the first woman in American history
to assume command of a U.S. Army infantry division, a force of more than 10,000 soldiers.
Yeager, daughter of a (famous) retired general, joined the army to make money for college. She
entered active-duty in 1986 after commissioning as a second lieutenant from the university’s
ROTC program. She completed military helicopter training in 1989 and served as a Black Hawk
pilot for aeromedical evacuation.
Yeager left active duty after eight years when her first son was born, but eventually returned to a
military career. She served in a combat aviation unit in Iraq in 2011 and was promoted to
brigadier general in 2016. In taking command of the 40th Infantry Division, she now leads a
combat unit founded in 1917 and containing a rich history.
The historic milestone of Yeager becoming the first woman to command an American combat
division came nearly a quarter century after a government-financed study determined that
women could serve in the armed forces.
The integration of women into combat roles continues to be the official policy of the U.S.
Department of Defense, but that does not mean it is easy. The military services face an uphill
battle to recruit women for combat roles and they each approach the challenge in their own ways
because of their unique service identities.
- Do you think there may have been inappropriate political influences contributing to
Yeager’s selection to command the 40th Infantry Division? - Do you think her “command style” is fundamentally any different from the men
who have commanded the division in the past? - Do you believe women have served effectively in combat situations at any time
throughout history?
