FIRST FEMALE INFANTRY ENLISTED SOLDIER IN THE IDAHO ARMY NATIONAL GUARD

Photo By 1st Lt. Brianne Roudebush | Staff Sgt. Melanie Galletti with the Idaho National Guard's Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team, Staff Sgt. Cyndi Pearl Baltezore with the California Army National Guard's HHC, 1-185th Infantry Battalion (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), and Sgt. Dakota Demers with the Colorado National Guard's 1-157th Infantry Regiment, A Company, pose for a photo following their graduation from the Infantry Transition Course at the Umatilla Army Depot, Oregon on April 14. All three are the first female infantry Soldiers in their states. (U.S. Army National Guard photo / Sgt. Brianne M. Roudebush)  

ID, UNITED STATES

05.06.2017

Courtesy Story

Joint Force Headquarters - Idaho National Guard

(BOISE)—Staff Sgt. Melanie Galletti of the 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team, Idaho Army National Guard became the state’s first female enlisted infantry Soldier when she graduated from the U.S. Army’s Infantryman Course on April 14.

She graduated the course with two other female Soldiers from the California and Colorado Army National Guards, who were also the first female members in their respective states to be awarded the military occupational specialty of 11B.

Galletti joins a growing number of female Soldiers joining or transitioning into combat roles in the U.S. Army since the Department of Defense formally opened all duty positions to females in December of 2015.. These roles, namely infantry, armor, special forces and most field artillery positions, had only been open to male Soldiers previously. “I felt duty calling when the female integration process was first announced,” Galletti said. “I am also filled with desire to demonstrate that any Soldier can do anything as long as you have the heart and determination.”

Galletti attended the infantry course at the 249th Regional Training Institute in Hermiston, Ore. The course provides extensive technical and tactical training and tests students’ physical and mental endurance. In-depth weapons training covers individually assigned weapons, such as the M4 rifle or M9 pistol, and crew-served machine guns including the M240B, M2, and MK19 machine guns. The course develops students’ abilities to lead combat patrols, convoys, and tactical foot marches among other tasks, in multiple environments ranging from urban settings to harsh desert conditions.

Galletti has served 15 years in the military, to include active duty and in the National Guard. She served during two combat deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. She holds military occupational specialties in logistics; human resources; and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear functions. She is assigned to the 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team as a Bradley Fighting Vehicle Commander. She is scheduled to attend the mechanized leader course at Fort Benning, Ga. to further develop as an infantry leader.

“[My] transition will be extremely challenging in so many ways. An infantry Soldier is not just about having strength and stamina, but you have to be able make quick decisions under pressure or under circumstances that impact your life and the lives of your Soldiers,” Galletti said. “I found my training to be a great experience and the instructors to be subject matter experts in all topics infantry. I want to become that infantry Soldier – the subject matter expert."

As Idaho’s first female infantryman, Galletti is paving the way for future females who will serve on the front lines when called upon by our nation.

• Date Taken: 05.06.2017
• Date Posted: 12.03.2017 15:07
• Story ID: 257245
• Location: ID, US