Photo By Amy Phillips | Fort Hunter Liggett FMWR employee Akuaha Moreno and her family. Courtesy photo... read more read more
Women throughout history have fought for gender equality and made positive impacts for the greater good. This legacy continues with military and civilian female warriors at Fort Hunter Liggett (FHL)/Parks Reserve Forces Training Area (PRFTA) who contribute to the garrison and Army mission.
Common themes among the women warriors include gratefulness for the women that have paved the way, the need for more leadership roles for women, having mentors and support groups, and staying strong.
Lt. Col. Serena Johnson made history by becoming the first African American Garrison Commander of PRFTA on June 19, 2020. She says her greatest accomplishment is being able to balance a career and her duties as a mother. “I am very proud of my children, and how far I’ve come, because I come from humble beginnings,” said Johnson. ”I teach (my children) to treat people the way they want to be treated.” She credits her parents for making her who she is today, and takes pride passing along their teachings to her children. Read her full story here: https://www.dvidshub.net/news/377029/first-african-american-garrison-commander-parks-reserve-forces-training-area
Capt. Wanda Carr, the 91st Training Division Readiness Officer, credits God and Proverbs 31 for helping her through life and challenging times. “Everyone has their own views, backgrounds and demographics so if you listen to them, they’ll all come up with different advice,” said Carr. “That’s why I get all my guidance from the Bible.” Carr has many life achievements as a Soldier and in her personal life.
Carr, was the first woman in her family to earn an associates, bachelors and master’s degrees and says she is very proud her four sons followed in her footsteps and all graduated high school with honors. Her son Robert, graduated as the first African American Salutatorian in Paso Robles High School this year, and with six Honors cords. “I’m their number one fan,” said Carr. Carr humbly admits that she “broke the family mold” and will be the first woman to retire and “not have to depend on a man.”
During her enlisted career, Carr was the first to qualify in her military police unit on the M249 Light Machine Gun. She was also an Army Civilian with the 81st Regional Support Command. Carr arrived at FHL in 2017 for her initial Active Guard Reserve assignment as the first Garrison Headquarters, Headquarters Company Executive Officer. And if her professional career is not busy enough, you will often find her at FHL and community events singing the National Anthem at post because she is a trained opera singer.
Other accomplishments she is proud of include the creation of the garrison’s junior promotion board, the Human Resources handbook and the in-processing checklists for Soldiers and garrison civilian employees. Her goal after retiring from the military is to manage a Veterans Affairs Hospital.
Anthropologist and Army Civilian Lisa Cipolla began her career as FHL’s Cultural Resource Manager in 2009. She plays a vital role in FHL’s stewardship of cultural resources, maintaining positive relations with Native American tribes, and ensuring adherence to federal and state regulations.
In a report by the American Society for Anthropology (ASA) the ratio of male-to-females in the anthropology field is now fairly even, however Cipolla says it was not always that way. The history of women in the male-dominated anthropology field goes all the way back to the 19th century, say Cipolla and continues to grow.
“Women are quite capable and aren’t deterred” adding that “the disparity is the leadership roles for women.” said Cipolla.
“Peer-reviewers are still male dominated. A lot of it has to do with age because they’ve been in the field for so long.” The ASA report also showed that more men are applying for grants, and therefore getting more grants than women.
“I’ve not had obstacles in terms of my career,” said Cipolla. “I’ve been fortunate to have female mentors and professors to help pave the way.” She mentions a department chair at UC Santa Barbara, a Los Padres National Forest heritage program manager and her current supervisor Liz Clark as mentors who have made a difference in her life. Cipolla gives kudos to the garrison Fellows Program which grooms future leaders by providing mentors, leadership skills training, and teaches them the broader garrison picture, how each directorate works together for a common mission, and the importance of everyone’s input to help improve things.
Prior to coming to FHL, Cipolla worked for the Forest Service, another male-dominated organization. “I expected the same macho mentality, but I was pleasantly surprised to see so many women there both in uniform and as civilians.” She says it’s much more diverse at FHL with many women in leadership roles. She mentions former garrison commanders who went on to become generals (brigadier generals Donna Williams and Stacy Babcock), and Col. Norman; and IMCOM-Readiness Director Brenda Lee McCullough.
Cipolla holds a bachelors and master’s degrees in anthropology, and because of her experience and knowledge, she is often called upon to provide her expertise to other agencies during wildfires in the area. Cipolla also forges positive relations with local Native American tribes often taking part in their ceremonies and is a regular presenter to visiting dignitaries at FHL.
An often-overlooked group of warriors are the female military spouses. Military spouses play a significant role in Soldier readiness. Akuaha Moreno is an FMWR marketing assistant and a proud Army spouse. Her husband is with Satellite Command (SATCOM) stationed at Camp Roberts. FHL provides housing to SATCOM Soldiers and their families. This is the Moreno family’s first tour of duty.
Moreno’s story includes being a young child of divorce and escaping from an abusive relationship which led to her being homeless with her three children.
Leaving the abusive relation “was the best decision of my life,” said Moreno. “I have a lot to be thankful for, but most of all, I am thankful for what I have gone through to get to where I am going in the future.”
Part of that journey was meeting her husband Chris and when he joined the Regular Army, overcoming the new challenges that arose for her and her family of six trying to adjust to Army-life and the remoteness of the FHL.
“I’ve never lived in a small city my entire life. I’ve always lived in big cities,” said Moreno, who hails from South Bend, Indiana. “The remoteness affected my mental health.” Volunteering at the FHL Cybrary helped provide the interactions she craved, and also help her get a job on post.
Challenges she has faced include negative stereotyping of military spouses, finding a school for her special needs children and finding medical support.
But Moreno is a fighter, life might bring her to her knees sometimes but she always gets up. Through her perseverance and resilience, she has discovered a community of special needs people, and with the help of the Presidio of Monterey Exceptional Family Member Program, has established a good support network. She says the FHL command team and people on post have been very supportive.
She says many people complain about FHL being so remote. “I know that even at times, I do. But I have a roof over my head, a wonderful husband, we are healthy and safe. We live in a fantastic community full of amazing people that I think of as my family,” said Moreno.
She is also grateful for her friends and neighbors, and her mentor, Brent Gregory, who helped Moreno get into the culinary field at Notre Dam “Meeting him helped start my life on a better path,” said Moreno. She says she’s spent a lot of time reflecting on how she was able to grow in her career and personally through his mentorship. “I want to be able to mentor others and give back in the way it was gifted to me,” said Moreno.
Moreno doesn’t know what she wants to be ‘when she grows up’ but her culinary career taught her “lifelong skills, besides how to julienne a carrot, that I am able to pass to my children.” She says she gave up that career “so we, as a family, can support my husband being active duty.” Moreno really enjoys working as a government employee and hopes that it is something she can continue as her family moves on to their next assignment.
She is thankful of what women have fought for and are still fighting for. “I think about the rights that I have now, and how I wouldn’t have had those 60 years ago,” said Moreno. “There are still huge strides that can be made.”
To those that are struggling, whether it be fighting for equal rights or COVID-19, Moreno says, “You need to know you are not alone. Not everyone wears their emotion the same. Don’t give up, reach out to someone. No one should struggle alone.”
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Women make up only 17.6 percent of the Army but they play vital roles and make a difference. Women have served as Soldiers and civilians throughout our country’s history, and you can read about their journey as cooks and seamstresses to being pilots and more at the “Women in the Army” website: https://www.army.mil/women/history.
| Date Taken: | 09.01.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 09.01.2020 13:57 |
| Story ID: | 377235 |
| Location: | FORT HUNTER LIGGETT, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 386 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Celebrating Women’s Equality – Meet our Modern Day Warriors, by Amy Phillips, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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