Female promoted to 4-star general

WASHINGTON -- The Army promoted the first female to four-star general in its history Friday in an emotion-laden ceremony that sparked hopes among women that the role for female troops will continue to expand.

Gen. Ann Dunwoody's elevation to the pinnacle of the officer corps was the culmination of a protracted fight by women. The military named its first female one-star in 1970, the first two-star in 1978 and the first three-star in 1996.

Women currently are not allowed to serve in ground combat, limiting their command options and roles in wartime. Instead, women have risen through the military ranks through career paths like nursing, intelligence and logistics.

Dunwoody's standing-room-only ceremony in the Pentagon auditorium drew the military's highest ranked officers. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Gen. George Casey Jr., the Army chief of staff, presided, and three-star generals had to stand in the back because all the seats were taken.

After Dunwoody's husband, Ret. Air Force Col. Craig Brotchie, and Casey pinned four stars on each shoulder of her uniform, women soldiers cheered, some as they wiped tears of joy.

Dunwoody, 55, said she was humbled and overwhelmed by the distinction.

"When people ask me, Ann, did you ever think you were going to be a general officer, say nothing about a four-star, I say not in my wildest dreams," she said.

Afterward at Fort Belvoir, Va., the base where she was born, Dunwoody was sworn in as commander of the Army Materiel Command, which equips and outfits soldiers.