Marcia Anderson Makes History as Army’s First Black Female Major General

by Jacob Dunn, age 15

Marcia Anderson is a retired general in the U.S. Army who became a role model as she embodied her core values of “courtesy, tolerance, and striving for excellence.” Through these words Anderson dedicated herself to being a lifelong learner and took the mantle of being the first female African American major general in the Army Reserves. Anderson has been honored numerous times for her work and accomplishments over 36 years of service.

Anderson served the U.S. in many ways. Recently, she became the first Black female Major General honored as a sponsor for a United States combat ship, the USS Beloit.

It all started when she took a military science class that was needed for a science credit during her time at Creighton University. After getting her bachelor's degree in political science from Creighton, she went on to graduate from Rutgers School of Law in 1984. After that, Anderson went on to earn her master’s degree from the U.S. Army War College in strategic studies. After seeing her intellectual abilities, the U.S. Army Reserve promoted Anderson to colonel.

Anderson worked her way up to become a senior military advisor to the chief of the Army Reserve at the Pentagon. This job helped her obtain more recognition as she worked on a congressional budget of $8 billion in the Department of Defense. Anderson departed from her military adviser role to become a commanding general of the U.S. Army Human Resource Command (HRC). While being commanding general, she helped consolidate three HRC commands into one large command.

After working as commanding general, Anderson retired after 36 years of service. She honored her country and it did not go unnoticed. Anderson was inducted into the Army Women's Foundation Hall of Fame and the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) Hall of Fame. She has earned many courageous awards such as the Distinguished Service Medal, a Legion of Merit, a Meritorious Service Medal, and an Army Commendation Medal. These achievements are only a few of all the incredible accolades she has received.

Nowadays, Anderson is enjoying retirement. After her service, Anderson worked for the clerk of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Madison, Wisconsin. Anderson continues to be remembered for her military accomplishments. Anderson is a very resilient woman who has left a strong legacy behind in the Army Reserves. She is an inspiring role model to everyone throughout the world.

[Source: U.S. Army, Army Women’s Foundation, VA News, WPR]