The Vermont National Guard welcomed the first woman to enlist as a cavalry scout in Vermont since combat military occupational specialties became available to women in August 2016.

Pfc. Noelle Cave will serve with A Troop, 1st Squadron, 172nd Cavalry (Mountain), located in Newport, Vermont.

“This is a great news for our cavalry squadron and the entire Vermont Army National Guard,” said Brig Gen. Richard Lebel, land component commander, Vermont Army National Guard. “Women in direct combat roles are an integral part of the success of our formations, and having our first enlistment into the combat arms will hopefully open the door for other women like Pfc. Cave.”

Combat military occupational specialties, specifically infantry and armor/cavalry scouts, were closed to women across the Army National Guard until Aug. 9, 2016.  The first integration implementation plan required a minimum of two female leaders in the same career field in the same company before a new junior enlisted female could enlist.  A leader is defined as an NCO or officer. This concept is referred to as the Leaders First requirement.

Women commissioning as infantry or armor/cavalry officers can directly enter into combat units upon their commission. Soldiers who enlisted into other specialties may transfer into a combat unit so long as they pass the prerequisite training.

The gender implementation was updated Jan. 29, 2019, making the requirement one woman in the same career track and one woman leader of a different career track that has been in the unit for at least 30 days.

The Vermont Army National Guard currently has units in the infantry and cavalry that meet the prerequisite to allow women to join. Sgt. Gloria Kamencik became the first Vermont Soldier to serve in a combat position as a cavalry scout in 2017.