Joane Mathews was the first female general in the Wisconsin National Guard in the U.S. Army, and she has made military history in the state since Scott Walker, governor of Sconsin, granted her the rank of brigadier general as chief of staff of the state Army National Guard.
Prior to that, Joan Matthews was also the commander of the 1st Battalion of the 147th Aviation Regiment and the first female battalion commander of the state's Land Aviation. She was also the first non-medical colonel in Wisconsin. In addition to joan Matthews' long stint in the male-dominated military profession, she also boosted the prestige of the State National Guard in her handling of issues related to the Wisconsin Indian Reservation. For example, she once commanded the flood relief work in Wisconsin, which was well received by both the military and the local government.
At the brigadier general's ceremony that year, she said, "I come from a military family, and I am proud to inherit my father's military traditions, and it is a pity that he did not come here to see me hang up the general's star, but he has participated in almost all of my award ceremonies before." Now, I have set a good example for the rest of the family, and I myself will open a new chapter in my life and fulfill my duties. ”
Brigadier General Joan Matthews was responsible for combat readiness and training in the Wisconsin National Guard, assisting The State National Guard Commander Major General Dan Dunbar and Deputy Commander, Brigadier General Mark Anderson, in ensuring that Wisconsin National Guard was fully prepared for military duty.
Major General Dunbar considers the Wisconsin National Guard to be an outstanding collective, the soldiers are very good, and Brigadier Joan Matthews is the best of them, and her appointment will further enhance the combat readiness level of the troops' capabilities.
With the addition of other military professional positions, Joan Matthews was no longer the first female general in the Wisconsin National Guard. Because back in 1992, Sharon Vander Zyl of the State National Guard served as a special assistant to the U.S. Army Nurse Corps of the Federal National Guard, the first female general of the state's National Guard.
However, as mentioned earlier, Joan Matthews was the first female general who did not specialize in medical science, which also reflected the high probability of female military doctors in the US military becoming generals. In addition, the first female general in the Wisconsin Air National Guard was Brigadier General Margaret Bair, who was promoted to general in 2009.
After Joan Matthews was promoted to general, there was more foreign affairs activity, visiting military barracks and comforting military families. Participating in military and civilian activities and attending conferences to make speeches are her daily work.
For example, Brigadier General Joan Matthews represented the State National Guard at the funeral of a fallen officer, and you can see from the picture that the brigadier general lady knelt on one knee and presented the American flag to the parents of the fallen officers and soldiers. This scene, we can also see in the American movie "EscortIng Money", the general kneels to the soldier's family, reflecting the respect for the soldier.
Joan Matthews has been awarded the Meritorious Service Medal (with 1 bronze oak leaf cluster, representing 2 awards), the Army Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal (with 2 bronze oak leaf clusters), the Army Achievement Medal (with 1 copper oak leaf cluster), the Reserve Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal (with 1 bronze service star), the Wisconsin Southwest Asia Service Medal, the Global Counter-Terrorism Service Service Medal, the Army Reserve Medal (with hourglass symbol), the Army Service Medal, the Overseas Service Medal, and the Right Chest Collective Award is the Army Senior Collective Commendation. In addition, she has received the Louisiana Emergency Service Medal from the Air National Guard, the New Hampshire National Guard Active Service Medal with 1 Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster, and the New Hampshire National Guard Service Medal (with state seal insignia and 1 silver and 1 copper oak leaf cluster).
Joan Matthews has a high-level flying skills badge, but lacks the identification badge above the service command, and it seems that the female cadres who grew up from the grassroots level did not have the opportunity to gild the headquarters, and it was even more difficult.
(This article is about 1315 words, with 11 pictures, with pictures and numbers to take the deep meaning of the Chinese character harmonic "double eleven chopping hands", thank you for your easy reading.) ）