Brig. Gen. Annette Deener has served in the Army and National Guard for more than 30 years, starting when the military was opening itself to more female involvement.
Though female service members still are excluded from most combat situations, Deener said she believes women are significantly helping to shape today’s military.
“In the military, especially the National Guard, women and minorities can progress,” she said.
“It has become a very even playing field.”
Deener, 55, was promoted to brigadier general in August, serving as deputy assistant adjutant general for the Maryland Army National Guard.
She is the third woman to achieve the rank in Maryland National Guard history.
“Deener has been absolutely essential to the Maryland National Guard her entire career,” said Brig. Gen. James Adkins, adjutant general of the Maryland Guard.
She enlisted in the Army Reserves in 1975, then joined the Maryland Guard in 1978, slowly climbing the ranks.
But she realized in 2000 how far women have come when she was the Army National Guard representative to the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services.
“I had an opportunity to see women succeed, as well as influence opportunities for other women,” she said.
“I got to [look] behind the scenes at how the changes are happening, and how it really did open up career fields for us.”
Deener was picked for promotion by former Maryland Guard commander Maj. Gen. Bruce Tuxhill. She was nominated by a committee and confirmed by the Senate.
During her career with the Maryland Guard, Deener has directed personnel, human resources and information management. She also has won service awards for her work.
As deputy assistant adjutant general in Baltimore, Deener helps Brig. Gen. Alberto Jimenez, commander of the Maryland Army National Guard, keep the soldiers in a constant state of readiness, she said.
Readiness has been an issue for the Maryland Guard lately, after sending more than 130 soldiers to Iraq in 2007, its largest deployment since World War II. Units have been deployed to Afghanistan this year, and the Guard also has been active in helping other states in recent years during disasters.
“We have proved to the nation the Guard’s worth,” said Deener, of Sharpsburg in Western Maryland.
“We operate at a high level of readiness, and we do it well.”
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