Sacramento VFW Post names first female commander since 1946

Photo By Master Sgt. Paul Wade | California Army National Guard's Sgt. 1st Class Nicole McBurnett was voted in this year as the first female post commander of VFW Post 8762 since it was chartered Dec. 14, 1946.  

SACRAMENTO, CA, UNITED STATES

11.07.2015

Story by Master Sgt. Paul Wade 

California National Guard Primary   

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - California Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Nicole McBurnett was named a 2015 Outstanding and Invaluable Public Service Honoree by Congresswoman Doris Matsui on Nov. 9 at the California Department of Veterans Affairs Medal of Honor Hall in Sacramento.

McBurnett received the award at the “Spirit of Veterans Day—Saluting Community Service Excellence” event along with approximately 50 other fellow veterans who came from organizations such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and the American Legion.

McBurnett earned another recent distinction when she was voted in this year as the first female post commander of VFW Post 8762 since it was chartered Dec. 14, 1946.

She completed an initial four-year tour in the U.S. Army in 1994 and transitioned into the Guard as a motor transport operator. She switched skill sets to logistics and became a full-time Active Guard and Reserve (AGR) Soldier in 1997. She has since taken on various jobs, such as supply sergeant, unit movement officer, master driver, hazmat certifying officer, and is currently the assistant Inspector General at the Cal Guard’s headquarters in Sacramento.

She became eligible to join the VFW after deploying to Kosovo in 2004 as part of a task force; and then made her eligibility rock solid with a year in Iraq in 2007 with the 118th Maintenance Company.

“I originally joined the VFW in 2005 as an annual member in Long Beach,” said McBurnett, who was born in St. Louis but grew up in Torrance. “In 2011, I became a life member with West Sacramento’s Post 8762. We have about 300 members with 90 percent being from the Vietnam era. I noticed this large gap missing and felt the need to help change this. As their new commander, I’m hoping to add new era conflict members among our ranks.”

Mirroring her service, she has also held various jobs within the post, including being their post Inspector General in 2012. Her decision to join and continue rising in the ranks was decided long before she stepped on foreign soil.

“I had fond memories of my father and grandfather being active members,” said McBurnett. “I watched them both advocate for veterans’ rights and benefits. On my father’s side, my great grandfather was a World War I veteran. My grandfather was a World War II veteran and my father a Vietnam veteran. This was like a second home and family to them throughout the years of their lives.”

Founded by and for veterans, sprung from humble beginnings, the VFW has been operating for over 115 years. In recent years the VFW and like-minded organizations have come under scrutiny because of their waning membership numbers and for their actual impact on the betterment of veterans’ lives.

McBurnett said she didn’t join to maintain the status quo. “I knew I wanted to be more than just a member attending meetings. I wanted to make a difference by volunteering where I could and ensuring the legacy continues,” she said. “We are supposed to be veterans helping veterans. I was encouraged by our former commander of nine years, Gary Reason, who told me he was looking for a leader to replace him, someone who had the drive to take the ball and run with it, and that person was me.”

With the opening of selected combat roles to female service members in 2013, and more recently, Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter urging all combat positions be available to women, the increased opportunities for women to qualify will reflectively rise in organizations such as the VFW that fill their ranks due to service component demographics.

“The VFW population is mainly Vietnam era, but we are getting new members,” McBurnett said. “This is key in having an essential voice on Capitol Hill. We continue to improve the organization by making modern changes. My goal is to offer a variety of programs and activities for both veterans and their families and reach out more and assist the communities that are a part of veterans’ lives and how they can both be beneficial to one another.”

• Date Taken: 11.07.2015
• Date Posted: 12.29.2015 16:34
• Story ID: 185435
• Location: SACRAMENTO, CA, US
• Hometown: TORRANCE, CA, US