Female colonel promotes equality

Rachel Parks, Sentinel Staff

 

When Col. Laura Richardson took command of U.S. Army Operational Test Command July 21 she became the first female commander in OTC’s history. It’s just the latest assignment in a military career of prestigious duties, which have included former Vice President Al Gore’s military aide and the commander of 5th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment at Fort Campbell, Ky.

Although he ultimately encouraged her to take part in ROTC in college, he started in childhood by encouraging his oldest daughter to participate in sports and other extracurricular activities. After her graduation from Metropolitan State College in Denver, she was commissioned as a second lieutenant aviation officer. It was at Fort Rucker, Ala., early in her aviation career, when Richardson met her husband, a fellow helicopter pilot. Brigadier Gen. Jim Richardson now serves as the 1st Cavalry Division’s deputy commander for support.

Early in Operation Iraqi Freedom, the couple was deployed at the same time. By that time, one of Richardson’s sisters and her brother were also Army officers. We were all deployed, including my husband,” she related. “So my brother, my sister, my husband and I were all deployed on the initial assault to Iraq.” On March 23, 2003, Laura was featured on the cover of Time magazine in a story that brought the reality of a dual-military couple to life for American readers.

Still, despite all her achievements and success, she is humbled about her accomplishments. She said she doesn’t see herself as a female Soldier who has broken down barriers, just as a leader doing her job. In her latest command position, at the helm of OTC, Richardson has high hopes for the future. She said she’s still only a month into the job and still assessing the organization and learning all the moving pieces.

“You have to be relevant to the Army, what’s going on with the Army,” she said. “You have to be responsive. There’s a lot going on with the war fight. There are a lot of things that we test for the war fight. I’m just excited to be here.

You would never think you could do a lot of those things in the Army. The opportunities are out there. If I could have picked … what I could have done, I would not have done a good job compared to what the Army has challenged me with.”