LaRita A. "Rita" Aragon (born December 3, 1947) is a retired

United States Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the ter ...

two-star general An officer of two-star rank is a senior commander in many of the armed services holding a rank described by the NATO code of OF-7. The term is also used by some armed forces which are not NATO members. Typically, two-star officers hold the rank ...

who most recently served as the 4th Oklahoma Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Her final active military post was as the Air National Guard assistant to the Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff Manpower and Personnel. She retired in 2006. Aragon is the first woman to hold the position of VA Secretary. As secretary, Aragon serves as Governor

Mary Fallin Mary Fallin (; née Copeland; born December 9, 1954) is an American politician who served as the 27th governor of Oklahoma from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, she was elected in 2010 and reelected in 2014. She was the first and s ...

's chief advisor on matters related to the policies and operations of the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs.

Military career

Rita Aragon earned her

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

in education from Central State College in

Edmond, Oklahoma Edmond is a city in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area in the central part of the state. The population was 94,428 according to the 2020 United States Census, making it the fifth largest ci ...

, in 1970. She would also receive a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in guidance and counseling from that same institution in 1979. Aragon enlisted in the

Oklahoma Air National Guard The Oklahoma Air National Guard (OK ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of Oklahoma, United States of America. It is, along with the Oklahoma Army National Guard, an element of the Oklahoma National Guard. As state militia units, the units in ...

on September 9, 1979, as an airman basic in the

219th Engineering Installation Squadron The United States Air Force's 219th Electronics Engineering and Radar Installation Squadron (219th EIS) is a communications infrastructure engineering Air National Guard squadron located at Tulsa International Airport in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The ...

stationed in

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, and ...

. She received her commission through the Academy of Military Science at

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state' ...

, in October 1981. She returned to the 219th EIS as an administrative officer. In February 1989, then Captain Aragon became the first female commander in the history of the Oklahoma Air National Guard when she assumed command of the 137th Services Squadron at

Will Rogers World Airport Will Rogers World Airport , Will Rogers Airport or simply Will Rogers, is a passenger airport located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, about 6 miles (10 km) southwest of the city's downtown area. It is a civil-military airport ...

Air National Guard Base. She became the first female to hold the rank of brigadier general in the history of the

as the commander and assistant adjutant general for the Oklahoma Air National Guard in March 2003. As Assistant Adjutant General for Air, General Aragon reported directed to the Adjutant General of Oklahoma. While serving as assistant adjutant general, General Aragon was appointed to serve as the Air National Guard assistant to the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Financial Management and Comptroller. She served in that position from 2003 to 2005. In 2006, General Aragon was appointed Air National Guard assistant to the Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff Manpower and Personnel. In that position, General Aragon oversaw policies and plans covering all part of the Air Force's military and civilian personnel management.

Fallin administration

On November 18, 2010, Governor-elect of Oklahoma

announced that she would nominate General Aragon to serve as her

Secretary of Veterans Affairs The United States secretary of veterans affairs is the head of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the department concerned with veterans' benefits, health care, and national veterans' memorials and cemeteries. The secretary is a me ...

in her Cabinet. If confirmed by the Oklahoma Senate, Aragon will become the first woman to hold that position. As secretary, Aragon will be Fallin's chief adviser on matters related to the policies and operations of the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs. Aragon was sworn in as the Secretary of Veterans Affairs on January 10, 2011.

Personal life

In addition to her military career, Aragon has served as an elementary school teacher and an elementary school principal. She was named an OKC Chamber of Commerce Excellent Educator of the Year in 1990 and an Oklahoma City Principal of the Year in 1992. Aragon also serves on the boards of the Red Cross Chapter of Central Oklahoma, the

Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women was created by the Oklahoma State Legislature in 1994. Made up of thirty members, one-third are appointed by the Governor of Oklahoma, one-third are appointed by the President pro tempore of the Oklahoma Se ...

and the Girl Scouts of Western Oklahoma. She was named by ''The Journal Record'' as 2008 Woman of the Year and in 2009, she was inducted in the Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame.

Awards and decorations

Effective dates of promotion

References

Governor-elect Fallin names Aragon Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Office of Governor-elect Mary Fallin, 11-18-2011
Fallin names veterans affairs secretary

Tulsa World The ''Tulsa World'' is the daily newspaper for the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and primary newspaper for the northeastern and eastern portions of Oklahoma. Tulsa World Media Company is part of Lee Enterprises. The new owners announced in January 20 ...

, by World Capital Bureau, 11-19-10
Aragon honored as Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame inductee

The Norman Transcript ''The Norman Transcript'' is a daily newspaper published in Norman, Oklahoma, United States, covering Cleveland and McClain counties, in the southern suburbs of Oklahoma City. It is owned by Community Newspaper Holdings Inc. The newspaper is the ...

External links

Rita Aragon official National Guard Bureau biographyOral History Interview with Rita Aragon
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aragon, Rita Living people United States Air Force generals Recipients of the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Legion of Merit State cabinet secretaries of Oklahoma 1948 births Female United States Air Force personnel University of Central Oklahoma alumni Place of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American women