FORT EUSTIS, Va. — On Friday, history was made at Fort Eustis as the U.S. Northern Command’s Joint Task Force-Civil Support (JTF-CS) welcomed its first Black female commander.
A ceremony was held at Mullan Hall to officially welcome U.S. Army Col. Tanya McGonegal as the 13th commander of JTF-CS.
Col. McGonegal has been a trailblazer throughout her career. In fact, the Joint Force says she’s been the first Black female commander to lead every unit she’s commanded thus far, and she’s served as an Executive Officer six times.
"I knew that if I joined the military, I would have the opportunity to be more decisive," Col. McGonegal told News 3. "After college, they were offering a program where you can go into officer candidate school right after college, and that's what I selected to do. And 26 years later here I am, it's wonderful."
One of her earliest milestones was reached shortly after she enlisted in the Virginia Army National Guard in 1997. Two years later, she was the sole female in her class to graduate from Virginia State Officer Candidate School.
From there, she spent nearly 10 years in the Army National Guard military police, playing a role in critical missions, including Operation Noble Eagle in 2001, Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, and Hurricane Katrina relief efforts in 2005.
Col. McGonegal is assuming her new role after recently serving as the Division Chief for Strategy and Policy in the Joint Manpower and Personnel directorate for the National Guard Bureau.
The Joint Force highlighted Col. McGonegal’s strengths in relationship building, communication, multi-tasking, and organizational leadership.
"I'm looking forward to working with the servicemembers and families. We do a lot of exercises. Our unit is trained for the worst day... We're supporting local and state-level emergency responders, whether that's law enforcement, firefighters, [or] EMS," said Col. McGonegal.
At the ceremony, she shared a message to other women - either in service or other industries - who want to break barriers.
"All those different experiences come with time, come with dedication, come with working with others that you trust and build relationships with. At the end of the day, I'm finding that those that I've worked who I've inspired, they've inspired me just as much. And those connections are so valuable," she said.
Col. McGonegal is taking over for U.S. Army Col. Lamar Parsons.
JTF-CS is the only standing, no-notice Joint Task Force in the country that conducts Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Response and All-Hazards Defense Support to Civil Authorities operations.
