AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF)– This is a very special show for me because my guest is someone I’ve admired since I first said her name on the news way back in 2002. She worked her way through the ranks of the Signal Corps, from attending the Signal School, commanding the 516th Signal Brigade, serving as Fort Gordon’s Chief of Staff… to eventually assuming command of the installation on August 17, 2002.
She is a boss woman– talking about (Retired) Major General Jan Hicks!
Take a look at some of these highlights:
*Hicks was the first female Commanding General at Fort Gordon
*She was the first female Commandant of the US Army Signal Corps
*And, (I love this one!) she was the first General in the United States Army to be a mom!!
MG (Ret.) Hicks retired in 2005 from her 30-year military career.
In January of 2013, the ban keeping U.S. military women from fighting on the front lines was lifted. At the time, she told WJBF the following:
“Women have been in harm’s way for a long time… if you can do what’s required of you, and do it to the standard that has to be performed, then you can have a shot at showing you know how to do it and can do it.”
After the military, she became Principal of the Upper School at Augusta Prep. She says there were similarities between leading 20,000 soldiers and 200 teenagers!
“I’m not sure which one was harder, to tell you the truth! The kids were great. There’s not a lot about a 9th grader- or even a 10th grader- that ya LOVE (laughter) but by the time they were juniors they were wonderful. And by the time they made senior they were all great kids.”
Today she’s enjoying a different pace. She lives with two friends in what she describes as a “Golden Girls situation!” (Rose? Blanche? My money’s on DOROTHY!!)
She actively participates in the arts in Augusta, sings with the Augusta Chorale, gardens and farms, and enjoys being a grandmother- with a second baby on the way! Watch the video for a dose of Jan’s humor, wisdom, and thoughts about the legacy she leaves behind.
