In Service, At Home and Beyond: Reflections on the Meaning Behind the Mission with Colonel Eugenia Guilmartin
By Monika Samtani, Co-Founder, and Emily Montague, Managing Editor, The Fem Word
When you hear Colonel Eugenia Guilmartin’s title, you probably picture a stern-faced military officer with an all-business demeanor and little room for smiles. But COL Guilmartin challenges assumptions in more ways than appearance and gender alone - she offers a compassionate and nuanced perspective on military service that all Americans can benefit from and relate to.
On this Veterans Day, The Fem Word’s Monika Samtani and Emily Montague had the privilege of sitting down with the Colonel and learning about her experiences in leadership and life, and we hope you take the time to reflect with us today as we celebrate our service members and veterans.
LTC Eugenia Guilmartin talks with Police Substation Commander LTC Ahmadzai about security in his Sub-district adjacent to the Governor’s compound. Kandahar City, 2012
Q: There are a lot of assumptions people make about what it means to be in the military. Americans often have a very specific image in mind when they hear someone is an active service-member or a veteran, and that image is based on longstanding cultural assumptions. Have you ever felt stereotyped as an active duty female? Or has your experience been almost the opposite - have people often failed to recognize your status as a military officer because of your gender?
COL Guilmartin: Starting graduate school in 1999, I was the first soldier that many of my colleagues had met. Blame Hollywood for some of the worse stereotypes: Soldiers are regimented, unthinking, aggressive, and psychically damaged from combat. Over time, we got to know each other and those stereotypes crumbled (except, perhaps, my being on time to class when others were not!). Did I also carry stereotypes about my classmates based on where they went to undergrad or what region they were from? Yes. Over time, we overcame our biases by working together and learning each other's perspectives and interests.
In 2021, I believe that our military spouses who are veterans are still sometimes overlooked. Many of the wives and husbands have served in uniform and continue to serve the nation as volunteers and in civilian careers. I would encourage people to not make assumptions that military spouses have always played a "supporting role." There are infinite combinations of families out there today.
Q: What do you wish more Americans knew and understood about female service-members and vets? What can the average person do to be a better ally and supporter to active duty women and women who’ve served?
COL Guilmartin: I think it is really important to understand that all veterans -- both men and women -- are different and each one has a unique story to tell. When my mother was in the Air Force in the mid-1960s, she was one of only a handful of women on her base. Now, women veterans are common. I recently heard a statistic that drove this point home to me: the Army has more women in our ranks today than the entire population of the U.S. Marine Corps! There is such a diversity of experience and background among the women who have served and are serving today. We are daughters, sisters, wives, mothers, friends and colleagues performing the same daily juggling act as any women.
For those who want to support a servicewoman or a woman veteran, I would recommend keeping an open mind and hearing her story. What is her greatest point of pride? What was her toughest experience? Do you have advice or skills that may be useful as she transitions to a civilian career? Does she have skills or talents she could share with you?
When I travel or am somewhere in uniform, it is still humbling to hear someone say "thank you for your service!" I always reply, "Thank YOU for taking care of us." In ways big and small people make life easier for each other with acts of kindness, empathy, and generosity. We are all responsible to take care of each other in this community.
“There is such a diversity of experience and background among the women who have served and are serving today. We are daughters, sisters, wives, mothers, friends and colleagues performing the same daily juggling act as any women.”
~COL Eugenia Guilmartin in her current position as Executive Officer, Assistant Secretary of the Army (Manpower and Reserve Affairs), 2020, the Pentagon
Q: As a Colonel, you’ve probably become quite used to holding a position of authority over teams and individuals - and statistically speaking, that authority will often be over male servicemen. How has that impacted your image of yourself as a woman, if at all? Have you seen it impact the views the people around you have about who you are as an individual?
COL Guilmartin: The Army is no different from society, and we wrestle with the same issues regarding gender, class, race/ethnicity, parenthood. However I have been extremely fortunate to work with amazing soldiers and civilians over the course of my career. I have never felt that being a woman adversely impacted my ability to work with and lead soldiers. The biggest surprise for me has been leading multinational formations where I think being a woman is an advantage. There is no stronger sign of commitment for America than to send a daughter into danger - and our international colleagues recognize and appreciate that sacrifice.
Q: When you first entered the service, what were your plans for the future? Did you imagine yourself ending up here, where you are now in life?
COL Guilmartin: When I first considered joining the military in the 1980s, "An Officer and a Gentlemen" and "Top Gun" were in the theater. Naturally I wanted to join the Navy! Bright white uniforms and exotic postings? Sign me up. I read James Webb's "A Sense of Honor" cover to to cover and decided I could handle the requisite stress of attending a service Academy versus a traditional university. But God has a way of throwing curveballs -- and mine came in the form of a West Point liaison. Once I learned about the Army and its mission working with people across the globe, I knew "Army green" was a better fit for me than “Navy white.”
I have never been someone who had a twenty-year plan. I joke that I am running an "hour-by-hour" operation. The military has provided me with opportunities and experiences I could never have imagined. From making hundreds of miles of supply routes in Croatia and Hungary safe to travel, to training Iraqi corrections officers, to working side-by-side with Afghan policemen and women, to serving as the senior Army law enforcement officer for the entire east coast of the U.S., this has been a unique journey.
“More than powerful, I feel impactful and Influential. Every day I am keenly aware of the great responsibility that comes with my position.”
LTC Eugenia Guilmartin and an Afghan Special Operator taking an impromptu chai break while climbing a local mountain in Kandahar City for physical training, Summer 2012
Q: Over the course of both your personal life and your career, when was the moment you first felt truly powerful?
COL Guilmartin: More than powerful, I feel impactful and influential. Every day I am keenly aware of the great responsibility that comes with my position. I have a responsibility to consider each Soldier whenever I see an action that may negatively impact a career and balance that with discipline and care for those who may have been harmed. I have a responsibility to think about the long-term impacts of the policies that come to our office and assist my boss in making best decisions he can for the future of the Army and the nation. One of my mentors frequently said "there is no limit to what we can accomplish if we don't care who gets the credit" (attributed to President Truman). I have tried to live my life according to this philosophy. Results matter more than credit or acclaim.
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this article belong solely to the interviewee, and do not necessarily reflect the position of The Fem Word organization. Any content provided by our interviewees are based on their opinions and are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual or anyone or anything.