Honored Role (part 16): Col. (ret.) Crissy Gayagas – In Balance

April 26, 2010

This is the 16th installment in the Honored Role Series. More than a word of welcome or parting, “Aloha”, in the Hawaiian language means affection, love, peace, compassion and mercy. Often described as the coordination of mind and heart, it also means the extension of warmth in caring with no obligation in return. This would [...]

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Fold of the Bright-Eyed—Athena Explained

April 20, 2010

Pallas Athena, the beautiful Greek goddess of war and wisdom, combines the martial and the feminine. A provocative mating of seemingly opposite yet related attributes highlights the power and grace explored in the myths of Athena. This juxtaposition of strength and femininity makes Athena the choice for the cover of Porcelain on Steel.

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Writing Women Back into History

March 31, 2010

March is Women’s History Month and this year’s theme is “Writing Women Back into History.” Honored to be the guest speaker at West Point’s Women’s History month celebration, I had an unique opportunity to share my story and the genius of Porcelain on Steel: Women of West Point’s Long Gray Line with a diverse audience [...]

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Honored Role (part 15): Paula Broadwell – Arc of a Driver

March 19, 2010

This is the 15th installment in the Honored Role Series. Paula Broadwell does her best thinking and reflecting during her daily 6:00AM run with her Iphone and Pandora blasting. She runs at warp speed literally and intellectually. To say she is driven to perform is a precise statement of how discipline and determination have shaped [...]

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Honored Role (part 14): Hannah Clifford – From the DMZ to VC, Frontline Leadership

March 5, 2010

This is the 14th installment in the Honored Role Series. Her military background is different from many colleagues, but Hannah Clifford says working with start-up companies is similar to that of being an Army officer. “At West Point and in Army, I was trained to act in the absence of guidance, communicate simply, lead by [...]

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Honored Role series (part 13): Capt. Raven Bukowski – Planting the Seeds of Service

February 26, 2010

This is the 13th installment in the Honored Role Series. Although Raven Bukowski’s late grandfather, Donald, never spoke about his experiences as a sergeant in the 3rd Infantry Division during World War II, his quiet patriotism and strength planted in her the seed to become a soldier. Raven knew only that her grandfather fought in [...]

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Fortis to Publish Porcelain on Steel

February 22, 2010

Porcelain on Steel: Women of West Point Long Gray Line is being published by Fortis Publishing and will be available in May 2010! I am thrilled and honored to be working with Fortis co-founders Dennis Lowery and Jim Zumwalt. It’s ironic that a Navy and Marine veteran respectively are making this book a reality. Frankly, [...]

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Honored Role series (part 12): Sister Teresa Hougnon – Faith Forged in Conflict

February 5, 2010

This is the 12th installment in the weekly Honored Role Series. Just as good steel is forged from hot fire, strong leaders are developed by challenge. Such is the path Teresa Hougnon took in her journey to serving others. While she felt compelled to enter religious life from an early age, she did not have [...]

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Honored Role Series (part 11): Lt. Col. Jen G. Buckner- In the Long Run

January 29, 2010

This is the 11th installment in the weekly Honored Role Series. One of the few constants in the Army is the importance of physical fitness: strength, power, and stamina. William Nash, a military historian, wrote “success and general efficiency of every military establishment is, in a very large degree, dependent upon the physical fitness, endurance, [...]

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Honored Role Series (part 10): Sue Fulton – Hallowed Words

January 22, 2010

This is the tenth installment in the weekly Honored Role Series. At age eight, Brenda Sue Fulton entered her first American Legion essay contest defining patriotism as the love of country and willingness to stand up for the freedom of other citizens. She won the contest that year and for the next five.

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