FORT MCCOY, Wis.— A member of the Wisconsin Army National Guard is making history as the first woman in her position.
Waupaca native Alicia Dorsett has been in the National Guard for over eight years. Every so often her and her unit spend the weekend at drill training. Her most recent training was firing training rockets at Fort McCoy. It also marked the first time she commanded her unit.
Dorsett is now the first woman in the state to command a field artillery unit in the National Guard.
“To me I think it’s an honor to be the first one. I am not treated any different though. I am treated like any other solider,” Dorsett said.
Her hard work has led her to where she is now. And while she remains humble, she also wants other women to know they can do whatever they put their minds to.
“I just hope that my story encourages other females to join field artillery because it’s combat arms and they aren’t sure if they can do it but you just have to have the right mindset to do it and you can,” Dorsett said.
For the other women in her unit, seeing her in charge is an uplifting sight to see.
“It’s been really nice to see the transition from always seeing male leadership to now seeing female leadership. There is that extra role here and motivation for all of us to look forward to,” Wisconsin National Guard member Catelyn Gallun said.
In her position she is inspiring the next generation of leaders while commanding a unit that helped bring her to where she is today.