Why I Serve, Why I Continue to Serve- U.S. Army recognizes leaders during Women’s History Month- Part Four

Photo By Gary Loten-Beckford | Lt. Col. Vanessa R. Bowman, battalion commander, 169th Engineer Battalion, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. (Courtesy photo)  

JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, VA, UNITED STATES

03.22.2022

Story by Gary Loten-Beckford 

U.S. Army Center for Initial Military Training

JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. (Mar. 30, 2022) – Leadership is a process of social influence, which maximizes the efforts of others, towards the achievement of a goal. In leadership, there are five skills and practices exhibited: self-development, team development, strategic thinking and acting, ethical practice and innovation.

One such leader with the five skills of leadership and humbleness shares her perspectives as to why she serves and continues to serve in the U.S. Army.

Lt. Col. Vanessa Bowman, 169th Engineer Battalion, Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., has an incredible story to tell. The Great Lakes Region-native’s background reads like an educator with a warrior’s combat-tested spirit. She started at the platoon level leading Soldiers and deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. By the time, she assumed company command; she was on her third combat deployment and earned the trust and confidence from her leadership.

Bowman’s command has five companies dispersed in four separate states continuously training Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, Coast Guardsmen, International Military and DoD Civilians to develop leaders of character and competent engineers. Alpha Company is hosted by the Navy at the Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center in Panama City, Fla., Bravo Company trains five Military Occupational Specialties with joint partners at, Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., Charlie Company, is hosted by the Navy at the Naval Construction Training Center in Gulfport, Miss., Delta Company is hosted by the Air Force with training at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas and the Firefighter Detachment, training at the Louis F. Garland Fire School at Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas and the Sapper Leader Course, Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.

“My parents encouraged me to serve in the military; especially my mother, she championed the idea of military service as she appreciated the efforts taken by the military to establish policy and take effective measures to enhance equality of opportunity for service members.” Bowman said. “I was able to get a four-year ROTC scholarship, my choice of study without being a financial burden to my family with the opportunity for a long-term career.”

Bowman commissioned as an engineer corps officer in 2001. Bowman said in the first battalion she was assigned less than 5% of the nearly 600 Soldiers assigned were female.

At the time, her battalion commander managed the talents of the junior officers. By doing so, he deliberately challenged their comfort levels, and intentionally shaped and developed their leadership abilities.

“I enjoy being an engineer corps officer, everything we do from mobility counter-mobility, survivability, geospatial to firefighting, disaster relief or civil engineering; we have such a larger array of missions.” Bowman said. “The close community the branch provides is simply amazing.”

Notably, it wasn’t unit 2016 that all combat positions were open to women. As of October 2019, an estimated 1,055 women in the regular Army volunteered for combat specialties, according to DoD.

Though the number of women in the engineer corps is upside down to her male counterparts, there is an important reason for continued service within the engineer corps. Throughout her career, Bowman says advocates and mentors developed her potential. Advocates were the ones who placed her in key assignments of increased responsibility. Mentors who supported her Downing Scholarship application.

“Maintaining close personal relationships throughout my career makes it a lifetime investment,” Bowman said. “Long term relationships with those I served with.”

Bowman recounts her consecutive change of command ceremonies with her husband in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2009. Bowman says their success was a collective effort; her parents on responsibilities at home, talent management of the battalion commander and key leaders and U.S. Army Human Resource Command (HRC) for aligning the efforts on having them in command together.

Lt. Col. Vanessa Bowman is set to relinquish command this summer. There is no end in sight; she truly loves her military service, which is why she continues to serve. Bowman remains consistent on her message to subordinate leaders; be an advocate, seek out an advocate, take care of others and be a positive change.

“I continue to serve because I like solving problems, the military has constantly kept me on my toes, everyday there’s something new to be solved” Bowman said. “Coming up with solutions that not only benefits the short term but the long term for as many people as possible.”

This concludes the four-part series highlighting four military leaders, who are women. Why they initially chose to serve in the U.S. Army is unique. However, the reasons why they continue to serve beyond their retirement eligibility speaks volumes. Everyday these leaders find purpose, their energy and spirit comes from their subordinates. There is no expiration date to service, just serve until the mission is accomplished.

• Date Taken: 03.22.2022
• Date Posted: 03.22.2022 14:19
• Story ID: 416932
• Location: JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, VA, US
• Hometown: OCONTO, WI, US
• Hometown: WALLACE, MI, US