TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – U.S. Army General Ann Dunwoody was a trailblazer before retiring from the service.
In the entire history of the nation, General Dunwoody is the first woman to achieve the rank of Four Star General of the Army. But it’s not what she set out in life to be.
“All of my life, since I was probably 5, I was a tomboy and all I wanted to do was to be a coach and a physical education teacher,” said Dunwoody.
Although four generations of her family, from her Great Grandfather to her brother attended West Point, Dunwoody said she didn’t even consider the Army until she was in college.
When she first joined the Army, women were not allowed to attend West Point, but Dunwoody didn’t let that stop her.
“I saw the military and the Army, the doors continue to open,” she said.
She went on to command the storied 82nd Airborne Division and follow a path that led her to be the leader of the global U.S. Army Material Command, leading more than 69,000 military and civilians across the globe.
“When I got promoted and nominated to four stars, I was not prepared for the enormity of the event,” she said.
Dunwoody has been named this year’s “Community Hero,” by the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino and Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla and she will be in this years Gasparilla parade.
“We’ve always been the people on the outside of the fence catching the beads and so it’s really exciting this year and honored to be right smack dab in the middle of it,” said Dunwoody who has now retired with her husband to Tampa.
Dunwoody saw major changes in the Army and the world during her service. She was recognized by foreign leaders and American Presidents for her work, but it’s a letter from a Lt. Colonel she had previously served with that she received after her promotion that will stay with her.
“And he said General Dunwoody I am so happy for you. I can now tell my three daughters they can be anything they want to be, to include a General in the United States Army,” Dunwoody said.
