Kate Wilder passed every test at the Special Forces Officer School in 1980 but was prevented from graduating. An investigation determined she had been discriminated against and she was awarded a backdated diploma nytimes.com/2020/02/28/mag…
Years later, when the SF tab was created, she rated one. “I was the real McCoy,” Wilder told me. “I was not the Ladies Auxiliary Special Forces”
Wilder, a military intelligence officer, eventually transferred to the reserves. She retired as a lieutenant colonel in 2003, after 28 years of service. She wore her SF tab proudly
Kate mentioned a letter she received in Feb. 1981 from Gen. Donn Starry that informed her she had been "subjected to a material unfairness." So I went digging in the Army Heritage & Education Center's files this morning and found it: emu.usahec.org/alma/multimedi…
AHEC also had the piece of official message traffic informing her that he'd granted her appeal: emu.usahec.org/alma/multimedi… Date-time-group is 201751ZFEB81. Take note of that time, because the records show some stuff went down just before that msg was transmitted
At 211730ZFEB81, Starry took the commander of the JFK Special Warfare Center, Maj. Gen. Joe Lutz, to the woodshed and handed him his hide right in front of Cdr. XVIII Airborne Corps. It was a Confidential // EYES ONLY message
It's on pages 5 and 6 of this document: emu.usahec.org/alma/multimedi…
1. (U) I've reviewed the subject case, with which you are both familiar.
2. (C) based on the evidence, recommendation of XVIII ABN Corps and the investigating officer, BG Cecil F. Adams, and my own review, I am issuing instructions that CPT Wilder be declared graduate of SFOC 2-80 and awarded ASI 5G, letter instructions follow.
3. (C) for MG Lutz, you will amend the necessary records and report to me personally when that has been accomplished, you'd better do it personally, apparently you can't trust your subordinates.
"apparently you can't trust your subordinates"
damn
damn
Half an hour later, Gen. Starry reports to Gen. Edward C. Meyer, Army Chief of Staff, that he has granted Cpt. Wilder's appeal: (pages 1-4) emu.usahec.org/alma/multimedi…
"eight of nine allegations of discrimination were fully sustained; the ninth was partially sustained. My judge advocate reports all this to be correct and in order"
"Tom Tackaberry appointed Cecil Adams as investigating officer. Cecil has conducted what I consider to be a thoroughgoing and first rate investigation. Tom reviewed the case, found that in his judgement a wrong had been done and redress was appropriate."
"In such cases AR 27-14 requires that the case be presented to the authority empowered to grant the petitioner's request. In this case that is me."
"Extensive review of the case leads me to conclude that Cecil and Tom, both of whom recommend redress, are correct."
"Accordingly I have granted CPT Wilder's appeal, directed that she be declared a graduate of SFOC 2-80 and awarded ASI 5G. The file will be transmitted to the DA in due course, according to established procedures."
Taking a look at the Distinguished Members of the U.S. Army Special Forces Regiment, you'll find both the schoolhouse commander who kicked Cpt. Wilder out, as well as the JFK SWC commander who denied her appeal: soc.mil/SWCS/Regimenta…
There's Col. Ola Mize, the MoH recipient and schoolhouse commander. Kate told me that after Starry granted her appeal, Mize was given the choice of orders to Yemen or retirement. He chose retirement. soc.mil/SWCS/Regimenta…
And there's Maj. Gen. Lutz, who found himself in his terminal pay-grade and evidently retired in 1990 soc.mil/SWCS/Regimenta…
His bio says Lutz "influenced the approval of the Special Forces’ branch insignia and designed the Special Forces tab. In the mid-1980s, Maj. Gen. Lutz was instrumental in the creation of a separate Special Forces career branch..."
"...within the Army, putting it on par with the Infantry, Armor and Artillery among Army career fields."
*This* action is what prevented other women from going through SF training after Wilder. By making SF a 'branch,' it became 'combat arms,' and thus fully off-limits to women
*This* action is what prevented other women from going through SF training after Wilder. By making SF a 'branch,' it became 'combat arms,' and thus fully off-limits to women
F. Cecil Adams Jr., Wilder's investigating officer, is still alive. 89 years old and living in Greensboro. Talked to him last night on the phone. His wife Sally says he works out three times a week.
