Army suspends 1st female drill sergeant leader
COLUMBIA, South Carolina (AP) - The U.S. Army has suspended the first woman to lead its drill sergeant school while it investigates an undisclosed personnel matter, the service said Thursday...
COLUMBIA, South Carolina (AP) — The U.S. Army has suspended the first woman to lead its drill sergeant school while it investigates an undisclosed personnel matter, the service said Thursday.
A spokesman for the Army’s Training and Doctrine Command said Command Sgt. Maj. Teresa King remains commandant.
Spokesman Harvey Perritt said he cannot disclose the reason for the suspension.
The 50-year-old King told The Associated Press on Thursday that she cannot talk about the matter.
King’s appointment in 2009 came amid much fanfare, since no woman had risen to such a prominent position among the service’s senior enlisted ranks.
Perritt said the suspension decision was made by Maj. Gen. Richard Longo, the deputy commanding general in charge of the Army’s basic and advanced individual training.
While opportunities for women have increased over the past two decades, they are still excluded from assignments where soldiers engage in direct combat, such as infantry and tank units.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.
