Photo By Pfc. Alyssa Norton | Master Sgt. Lara Willis, assigned to 548th Division Sustainment Support Battalion,...... read more read more
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FORT DRUM, N.Y. (Oct. 31, 2024) – The 10th Mountain Division (LI) Sustainment Brigade hosted a Woman Warriors of the Mountain event Oct. 31 at the 10th Mountain Division and Fort Drum Museum.
Civilians, Soldiers, and family members rotated through seven stations, learning about the impacts of prominent female figures within the division.
Capt. Natalie Grainger, a resource management officer in the 10th Mountain Division (LI) Sustainment Brigade volunteered to execute the quarterly Woman Warriors of the Mountain event.
“The first person I learned about was Ms. Deborah Bankart, and she inspired the formation of this event,” Grainger said. “The 10th Mountain Division may or may not have existed without her recruiting efforts.”
Deborah Bankart was one of the first three female certified ski instructors in the United States. She played a vital role in recruiting Soldiers for the newly established 10th Mountain Division.
In 1944, Bankart volunteered with the American Red Cross, which sent her with the 10th Mountain Division to Italy. She earned the nickname "doughnut girl" for serving coffee and doughnuts to uplift the morale of Soldiers on the front lines.
Even though opportunities for women to serve during World War II were limited, Bankart stayed connected to the war effort by serving with the Red Cross in Italy.
Grainger’s intention for hosting this event at the 10th Mountain Division and Fort Drum Museum was for attendees to learn not only about the history of the women of the division but to promote visitation to the museum.
“Not everybody knows to come to the museum to find this stuff out to know the history,” said Doug Schmidt, museum curator. “When they dive into it, they see the roles that were played by females in the past, and they see that they can build upon that and then progress that into the future.”
Master Sgt. Lara Willis, assigned to 548th Division Support Battalion, 10th Mountain Sustainment Brigade, gave a presentation on Gen. Ann Dunwoody, the first woman to be promoted to a four-star general in the U.S. Armed Forces.
“She oversaw operations at the end of Operation Restore Hope and Operation Uphold Democracy,” Willis said. “As a brigade commander in the 10th Mountain Division, she led the troops and forces to help support the community with relief during the 1998 ice storm.”
Willis gave her final remarks by recognizing all women of the 10th Mountain Division (LI).
“To all the women who have had an impact on the 10th Mountain, past, present and future, thank you.” .
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| Date Taken: | 10.31.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 11.01.2024 11:02 |
| Story ID: | 484435 |
| Location: | FORT DRUM, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 27 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Trailblazers of the past help to shape 10th Mountain Soldiers of the future, by SGT Amber Edwards, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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