Mildred Catherine Kelly (January 24, 1928 – January 27, 2003) served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

from March 1947 to April 1976. She became the first African American woman to hold the rank of

sergeant major Sergeant major is a senior non-commissioned rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. History In 16th century Spain, the ("sergeant major") was a general officer. He commanded an army's infantry, and ranked about third in the ...

and

command sergeant major A command sergeant major (CSM) is a non-commissioned rank and position of office in the United States Army. The holder of this rank and position is the most senior enlisted member of a color-bearing Army unit (battalion or higher). The CSM is ap ...

in the US Army and became the first female command sergeant major of a predominantly male Army installation.

Life and service

Born in

Chattanooga Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...

, Tennessee, Kelly graduated from

Knoxville College Knoxville College is a historically black liberal arts college in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, which was founded in 1875 by the United Presbyterian Church of North America. It is a United Negro College Fund member school. A slow peri ...

with a bachelor's degree in chemistry in 1949. She taught high school for only one year before enlisting in the

Women's Army Corps The Women's Army Corps (WAC) was the women's branch of the United States Army. It was created as an Auxiliaries, auxiliary unit, the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) on 15 May 1942 and converted to an active duty status in the Army of the U ...

in 1950 and serving for 26 years. She rose through the ranks to become the first black female sergeant major in the Army while serving at

the Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense. It was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase ''The Pentagon'' is often used as a metony ...

in 1972. In 1974, she became the first female command sergeant major of an Army installation (the

Aberdeen Proving Ground Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) (sometimes erroneously called Aberdeen Proving ''Grounds'') is a U.S. Army facility located adjacent to Aberdeen, Harford County, Maryland, United States. More than 7,500 civilians and 5,000 military personnel work at ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

) with a predominantly male base population. Kelly retired from the army on April 1, 1976. Kelly went on to serve on various boards and commissions, including the Women in Military Service for America Memorial Foundation, the Maryland Veterans Commission, the Veterans Advisory Board, and the National Association of Black Military Women. She was president of Chapter 16 of the Women's Army Corps Veterans Association. She contributed to the campaign to erect the

Women in Military Service for America Memorial The Women In Military Service For America Memorial, also known as Military Women's Memorial, is a memorial established by the U.S. federal government which honors women who have served in the United States Armed Forces. The memorial is located at ...

at the ceremonial entrance to

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

. Kelly died of cancer on January 27, 2003. She was buried with full military honors in Section 67 of Arlington National Cemetery. In 2022, the Naming Commission placed Kelly on its shortlist of potential new names for nine Army installations named in commemoration of the Confederacy. Ultimately, her name was not used.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, Mildred 1928 births 2003 deaths Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Military personnel from Chattanooga, Tennessee Knoxville College alumni United States Army non-commissioned officers African-American United States Army personnel Female United States Army personnel