Four-star Army Gen. Ann Dunwoody's journey to become military brass had more to do with her leadership than her gender, she said Tuesday during an appearance on
Newsmax TV's "America's Forum."
"People think I clawed my way to the top in this man's world," she said. "It is timing and it's also about diversifying the field. I'm very excited that there's women and minorities that are now at that level of our government that are competing for president of the United States. I've watched doors open my whole career from lieutenant to general officer."
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Dunwoody is the author of
"A Higher Standard: Leadership Strategies from America's First Female Four-Star General" and said her gender has certainly presented hurdles to clear, but she made it clear that her experience was probably not much different than anyone else.
"A lot of people helped me along the way, and I truly believe that's the case in every profession and every career," she said. "There are obstacles, challenges and people that are willing to help you. I talk about some of the challenges I had coming through the ranks and I talk a lot about the people that helped me."
She sees a bright future for women soldiers, who are beginning to join their male counterparts in some of the most elite forces. The key, she said, is getting people to meet the high standards, not lowering them for the sake of inclusion.
"In the Army, we just had six women pass the pre-Ranger training," Dunwoody said. "A lot of it is how we prepare the women to be successful, and for those who are going to do the instruction to also set up for success.
"We cannot lower the standards to accommodate this change. This is a dangerous profession and this is not a social experiment. This is about people who are qualified, capable and have the desire to do something, (to) open a new door and do it to the standard required of our military."
Dunwoody hopes that reading about her experience will "excite" people and motivate them to "dream big and make a difference every day, no matter what profession they're in."
"I hope (the) lessons have broad applications to anyone that wants to be a better leader, because we never stop learning. And I don't believe there's any magic recipe on how to be a good leader or how to be a general. I wouldn't know how to write that book."