| For someone who is poised to make military history in Wisconsin, one sure wouldn't know it just by looking at her. Marcia Anderson, a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, is laid back and dressed casually in a sweater and blue jeans as we talk at Ground Zero on Williamson St. Anderson is set to become the first female from Wisconsin -- and the second African American woman ever -- to be promoted to the rank of brigadier general in the U.S. Army Reserve. Throughout the early parts of her professional and military career, Anderson would get frustrated when she introduced ideas at team meetings, only to have them ignored until an older male would say the exact same thing and get credit for a brilliant idea. Anderson learned to get satisfaction with coming up with an idea, seeing it get implemented and feeling good from performing well in her duties. But things began to change as Anderson rose through the ranks. "As I got more rank that people actually listened to me when I had something to say," Anderson said. She had arrived. In order to qualify to be a brigadier general, Anderson had to attain a master's degree or higher -- she received her law degree from Rutgers University -- and attend the Army War College before being approved for promotion by a centralized board and the U.S. Senate. While the title of the War College would suggest that they study battle techniques, Anderson stated that it actually teaches them how to be leaders in all phases of the game. "We learn a lot about post-conflict activities, what to do after you met your objective," Anderson said. "'How to win the peace' is one way to put it. And you learn how to work with non-governmental organizations. We spent a lot of time talking about that. We talked a lot about how the government works, how the military fits in with the political, economic and diplomatic pieces of how our government does our foreign policy and how we are trying to attain peace." And while the image of a centralized board might suggest a panel of men dressed with all of their medals and awards on their chests as they bore down with questions on the person seeking to be promoted, it is actually a secretive affair. "I don't even know who sat on the board that selected me," Anderson confided. "The majority of them are active duty general officers. They weren't reserve officers. And I have sat on boards and the whole board process is extremely rigid. It's intended to inspire confidence. You are not allowed to comment that you are sitting on the board. You can't discuss the results of the board until the board results have been officially released. And if I recognize someone's record, I'm not allowed to say that I know that person. I may rank the person and on a scale of 1-10, I think the person is an eight. But there are 6-7 other people who are looking at that person's record and they may have their own opinion and make their own ranking and that's how people get promoted. You're not allowed to discuss your knowledge of any of the applicants. You're expected to vote objectively. And you are not even allowed to say that you saw someone's record to the other board members on a break. And they are very serious. There have been some boards where the results have been called into question because word got out that someone was discussing it." While Anderson is awaiting to be formally promoted, she has already assumed the duties of a brigadier general -- a colonel promotable. Anderson commands a 3,000 member unit based in Arlington Heights, Ill. While the Army Reserve is similar to the National Guard in that the members are part-timers -- serving one weekend a month and participating in training exercises two weeks out of the year -- it isn't geographically based. Anderson's unit is spread out over 17 states west of the Mississippi River. She is scheduled to visit a part of her unit in Seattle, Wash. later this month. Anderson's unit isn't headquartered on a base. It's actually located in an office building on government property. And when she is serving in her regularly assigned duties in Arlington Heights, she must pay for her own travel and lodging. And while she is a part-time Reservist, she commands a full-time staff. "Once you reach a certain level, it's just like managing a business," Anderson said. "I have a staff that works for me who cover everything from the personnel to the logistics. I have a comptroller. I have personnel in charge of operations and training. I have a chief of staff who manages the staff for me at this level. I have a budget of $7 million that I am responsible for. And I am subject to the anti-deficiency act just like any other federal manager. I cannot spend anymore than they gave me. My chief of staff is full-time. My other staff members are part-time. But they are supplemented by full-time civilians who are there day-to-day and handle things as they happen. All of the senior staff have been issued Blackberries with which you can keep track of e-mail traffic and you can make a call if something happens." Anderson's full-time job as clerk of courts for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Madison, fortunately, is similar to her job as brigadier general. "I have a staff and someone who is responsible for finance and someone for procurement and IT and administration," Anderson said. "It's important just to have really good people on your staff in both organizations." Anderson's personal life -- her husband Amos works for the Madison public schools -- and professional lives are often bound together by a series of electronic gadgets. "I have a lot of electronic leashes that keep me in touch with everyone," Anderson said with a laugh. "I have a TRIO that I use for my civilian job so that I get all of my e-mails and I can monitor that when I am away. The Army gives me a Blackberry that I have to keep with me at all times. And then, I have my personal cell phone. So I have a lot of fun when I go through security at the airport because I have a laptop too. I just try to keep everyone informed and involved." Anderson also emphasized that it's the understanding of her husband and the staff at the courts that has allowed her to stay involved in the Reserves because she may have to leave at a moment's notice. It happened right after 9/11. She got a call soon after the planes hit the World Trade Center. "I got a call the next morning telling me to go to Ft. Benning, Ga., Anderson recalled. "I told them there weren't any airplanes flying. And they said that au contraire, yes there were planes flying. So at a moment's notice, I had to contact the judges that I had to go to Ft. Benning and that I would be gone for about a week or maybe longer. I was gone Thursday morning. It was that quick. I was there for about 11 days. I was the advance party for the soldiers in my unit that I was assigned to at the time. They were drill sergeants. The expectation was that they were going to Ft. Benning to supplement the drill sergeants that were there for the expected surge in basic trainees." Anderson's motivations have evolved since she joined the ROTC program at Creighton University back in 1977. It has gone from just personal considerations to wanting to do the best job that she could to a sense of patriotism and responsibility to mentor those coming behind her, especially women and soldiers of color. The events of 9/11 really had an impact on her. "I never thought about patriotism really seriously until the last couple of years," Anderson reflected. "I guess, for me, what it means is that I am really happy that I live in this country. The more I learn about other countries and how they are run, I'm really happy I live here and I have an opportunity to do whatever I want. I can do whatever I want and so can other people. Yes, there are some roadblocks and yes there are people in civilian and military organizations who don't have your best interests at heart and are trying to block you. But there are ways around people. You have to keep trying. There are always going to be good people in every organization. I have faith in that." For now, Anderson isn't concerned about being the first woman in Wisconsin's history and the second African American woman nationally to become a brigadier general in the Reserves. She is intent on doing the best job possible. "I hope what people will focus on is that I am doing a good job," Anderson said. "After I leave to do other things, then I hope people will remember that I did a good job. If someone were to interview me later on after I retire, I'll be happy to talk about it. Right now, I don't want to focus on that too much because if I do, it might make me nervous. And I have too much to do to be nervous. I feel I've done a good job and I think the people who mentored me saw something in me or they wouldn't have taken the time to make sure I stayed on the right path." That path has led her to make Wisconsin history. |
| Col. Marcia Anderson: Citizen Soldier By Jonathan Gramling Part 2 of 2 |
 |