LaGuardia-Kotite - Changing the rules of engagement: inspiring stories of courage and leadership from women in the military

CHANGING THE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT

Other Titles by Martha LaGuardia-Kotite

My Name Is Old Glory: A Celebration of the Star-Spangled Banner

So Others May Live: Coast Guards Rescue Swimmers: Saving Lives, Deflying Death

Legacy: A History of the Coast Guard Foundation

Other Titles from Potomac Books

Flying for Her Country: The American and Soviet Women Military Pilots of World War II, Amy Goodpaster Strebe

Women Warriors: A History, David E. Jones

Fruits of Victory: The Womans Land Army of America in the Great War,

Elaine F. Weiss

Following the Drum: Women at the Valley Forge Encampment,
Nancy K. Loane

Inspiring Stories of Courage and Leadership from Women in the Military

CHANGING THE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT

Martha LaGuardia-Kotite

FOREWORDS BY
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz
and
Rep. Jeff Miller

Copyright 2012 Martha LaGuardia-Kotite

Published in the United States by Potomac Books, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

The views expressed in this book by the women interviewed are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Coast Guard, the Department of Defense, the U.S. Army, the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, the U.S. Air Force, the guard, or the reserves.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

LaGuardia-Kotite, Martha J.

Changing the rules of engagement : inspiring stories of courage and leadership from women in the military / Martha LaGuardia-Kotite.1st ed.

p. cm.

Includes index.

ISBN 978-1-59797-689-3 (hardcover)

ISBN 978-1-59797-874-3 (electronic)

1. United StatesArmed ForcesWomenBiography. 2. United StatesArmed ForcesOfficersBiography. 3. LeadershipUnited States. 4. Leadership in womenUnited States. I. Title. II. Title: Inspiring stories of courage and leadership from women in the military.

UB418.W65L345 2012

355.0092520973dc23

2012004500

Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper that meets the American National Standards Institute Z39-48 Standard.

Potomac Books
22841 Quicksilver Drive
Dulles, Virginia 20166

First Edition

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

For those who have served.

Col. Pam Melroy, NASA, USAF (Ret.)

Lt. Col. Nicole Malachowski, USAF

Command Master Chief Mattie Wells, USN

Lt. Col. L. Tammy Duckworth, USA (Illinois National Guard)

1st Sgt. Brenda R. Chrismer, 1st Sgt. Debra A. Sharkey (Ret.), and Capt. Catherine D. Florenz Michaud, USMC

Vice Adm. Vivien S. Crea, Vice Commandant, USCG (Ret.)

Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody, USA (Army Materiel Command)

Capt. Maureen Pennington, USN

Master Sgt. Bertha Thompson, USA

Rep. Heather A. Wilson, USAF (Ret.)

Sharon (Hanley) Disher, U.S. Naval Academy; Marene (Nyberg) Allison, U.S. Military Academy; Capt. Sue (Donner) Bibeau (Ret.), U.S. Coast Guard Academy; and Brig. Gen. Paula G. Thornhill (Ret.), U.S. Air Force Academy

Capt. Gina Harden, USN

I am fortunate to have a family of supporters and friends who sustain me by their encouragement. Instrumental from the beginning were my coauthor of My Name Is Old Glory (2012), Trish Marx; Toni Kotite; Ellie Roy; Amy Good-paster Strebe; Tina Burton; Sue Ross; the incredible Andy Ryan; Brig. Gen. Wilma L. Vaught, USAF (Ret.); and Lt. Col. Marilla J. Cushman, USA (Ret.), at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial Foundation, Inc.

I cannot imagine a better reviewer of my drafts than Bruce White. Many thanks to my agent, Colleen Mohyde of the Doe Coover Agency; and Elizabeth Demers, my editor at Potomac Books, for believing in this book from the frst conversation.

There are many others to whom I am grateful for making themselves available and assisting me with various requests, from lining up approvals and interviews to sharing background information, suggestions, photographs, and continued assistance. I especially thank the public affairs officers and enlisted members of the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, and U.S. Coast Guard who were instrumental over the course of several years in the development of this book.

For all the women who served in the military and by their example made this book powerful and possible (and to the men who believed in them and held open the door), I am most indebted to those who agreed to share their stories with me: Marene Allison; Capt. Sue Bibeau, USCG (Ret.); 1st Sgt. Brenda R. Chrismer; Vice Adm. Vivien S. Crea, USCG (Ret.); Sharon Disher; Lt. Col. L. Tammy Duckworth, USA (Illinois National Guard); Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody, USA; Capt. Gina Harden, USN; Lt. Col. Nicole Malachowski, USAF; Col. Pam Melroy, NASA, USAF (Ret.); Capt. Catherine D. Florenz Michaud, USMC; Capt. Maureen M. Pennington, USN; 1st Sgt. Debra A. Sharkey, USMC (Ret.); Master Sgt. Bertha Thompson, USA; Brig. Gen. Paula G. Thornhill, USAF (Ret.); Command Master Chief Mattie M. Wells, USN; and U.S. Air Force veteran Rep. Heather Wilson. Special thanks to Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Rep. Jeff Miller for recognizing the service of veterans and acknowledging their courage and contributions.

Finally, my thanks and love to my husband, Peter Kotite, for his enduring support; my sons, John Kotite and Aaron Bruner, for being constant inspirations and beloved companions; and my mom, Martha LaGuardia, for always believing in my bigger dream.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL)
Chairwoman, Democratic National Committee

Our brave women and men in uniform proudly perform one of the toughest jobs in Americaprotecting our freedomoften risking their own lives in the process. This is an unfathomable concept for most of us, but our members of the armed forces preserve and protect an ideal so much bigger than any one person. They do it with courage and a willingness to make the ultimate sacri-fce, which makes each of them remarkable in their own special way.

Changing the Rules of Engagement is an anthology full of journeys that must be shared. Im so glad that Cmdr. Martha LaGuardia-Kotite has made it her mission to delve into the personal stories of seventeen trailblazers and share them with all of us.

What comes through in each womans story is the courage it took to knock down the barriers in her way; the struggles that made her stronger and taught her more about herself and made her the leader she is today; and the dogged determination that would not let her consider failure as an option.

Like so many others in this book, I was raised by incredibly supportive parents who taught me that I could grow up and achieve anything. I believed them. After all, I was born in 1966the era of womens empowerment. I never knew a time when there werent women in public office. My parents always taught me that women could reach for the stars. Just a few years later, America witnessed Sally Ride literally prove them right. But it wasnt always that easy.

Many of these women are Women of Firsts: the frst female Thunderbird pilot, one of the frst women to pilot a space shuttle mission, and the frst woman to graduate from the Naval Academy with a degree in systems engineering. There was no one who came before them to show them the way. They had to be the ones to decide how to shatter the glass ceilings and make it possible for women after them to follow suit and break even more new ground.