Adm. Michelle has been named the first female and first African-American four-star admiral in the U.S. Navy.
Howard was given her four stars Tuesday during a ceremony at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C.
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Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, the father of three daughters, said Howard’s promotion is a “representation of how far we have come, and how far she has helped bring us,”
The Washington Post reported.
Howard is now the Navy’s second-highest ranking officer. She is best known for her role in planning the rescue of the cargo ship MV Maersk Alabama and its top officer, Capt. Richard Phillips, in April 2009. The vessel and crew members were overtaken by Somali pirates, and the story was depicted in the movie “Captain Phillips,” starring Tom Hanks.
“I’m just very proud of our service,” Howard said after Tuesday’s ceremony, referencing the Navy’s decision more than 20 years ago to allow women to fly fighter jets and serve in combatant ships.
Four-star female officers have been named in the past by the U.S. Army and Air Force. Army Gen. Ann Dunwoody, who retired in 2012, was the first female military officer to receive four stars in 2008.
Howard graduated from the Naval Academy in 1982 and is a 1978 graduate of Gateway High School in the Denver suburb of Aurora.
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