By Police1 Staff
WASHINGTON — For 25-year-old Tammy Barnett, her oath of enlistment into the U.S. Army was history in the making.
Barnett is the first female Army recruit into the infantry, an occupational specialty only recently open to females. Following the announcement by Secretary of Defense Ash Carter last year, all professions previously closed to women in the military were eligible for recruitment on April 1.
Barnett is a former Louisiana police officer, and had originally planned to become a military police officer but felt the infantry would be a better match.
“They are more on the front lines, like law enforcement here, and I said, ‘That’s what I want to do,’” she said.
Barnett said she feels a calling to protect and defend at the national level like she does locally.
“I have served the front lines in my hometown,” she said in a statement. “And, now I’m going to serve the front lines for my country.”
Barnett took her oath of enlistment last week, and will head to Fort Benning, Georgia for basic training.
The 14-month gap will allow the Army time to prepare for the new changes.
“It will allow the Army to properly prepare for new trainees by having trained female officers and (non-commissioned officers) in position,” Roger Harmon, public affairs chief of Army Recruiting Battalion Baton Rouge, said. “This allows female soldiers the opportunity to attend training and serve in areas previously only available to male soldiers.”
As for Barnett, she hopes her enlistment into the infantry will inspire other females to follow in her footsteps.
“I hope that I give them courage, because I’m a small female,” she told a local Louisiana television station. “If I can do it, they can do it, too. This could give them the courage to step out of their comfort zone.”