Single mother of six becomes first master gunnery sergeant in her MOS

Marine Corps News ^ | Feb 24, 2006 | Cpl. Matthew K. Hacker

[SandRat]

Nope I don't have that figure handy unfortunately. I do remember the SECDEF briefing it at a press conference at or was it Gen Pace???, at the PEntagon though.

[sgtbono2002]

It would be kind of interesting to know if there was a Dad who helped her along or if she did this all alone or if there was one dad or 6.

[Indy Pendance]

Just from what my soldier and her group tried to figure, for calculations ease, about 150,000 are deployed in Iraq at any given time, many are on their 2nd or third rotation. A about 3 million military. The percentage is pretty low, just by that ball park guesstimate. Add in a factor for Afghanstan.

[Jhohanna]

This is *awesome*! Never say that AfricanAmericans can't do nothing!

[Blueflag]

Let me add fuel to the fire ... The daughter on the far right is holding a toddler, who is not apparently, #7. More fatherless kids? Although kids could grow up in worse fatherless households! I admit I do not have the facts, so any criticisms against me are warranted. ;-) flame away.

[Indy Pendance]

If there was no dad, she had to have had some family support. The article says, the past two years. Nevertheless, she's raising a bunch of great kids.

[Indy Pendance]

"I do not have the facts"

You don't. Can't a positive article about this woman be appreciated?

[Blueflag]

FWIW, so facts are self-evident. There are 8 children in the photo. IT's an easy inference to guess about the 8th.

And yes, it's a glowing article about determination, capability, perseverance and talent. IT also includes love of, and dedication to her children AND her country. That is ALL good. I appreciate her strong belief in God and recognize that any sin she might have committed is no worse than any I have or will.

At the same time I can glory in her success, I can lament the deterioration of the nuclear family, the poverty of unwed mothers ( in the majority) and the loss of outrage and shame to have children out of wedlock.

Net: more power to her.

[Indy Pendance]

It's an assumption, there are only 6 daughters, you assume something not mentioned at all. Why do people here always assume the worst? The eldest is in college. The other girl holding the baby could be a family friend or relative. It might be an all girl photo, for family history. I have 3 daughters, and we've done family photos with just the female side of the relations.

[bannie]

Caption:

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (Feb. 1, 2006) -- Master Gunnery Sgt. Kimberly D. Walker, G-3 embarking chief, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, stands with her daughters and her niece after her current rank promotion Feb. 1. Her promotion to master gunnery sergeant made her the first of her rank in her military occupational specialty.

[bannie]

The Porterville, Calif., native

HOOOO-AAAAAH, neighbor!

[Indy Pendance]

Well, duh, I can read....

[bannie]

:-)

It's tough to be human.

[Indy Pendance]

I try!

[WideGlide]

Looks like a minimum $120K in weddings in your future Gunny. Where's Dad?

[the invisib1e hand]

No mention in the story. For all we know she's a widow.

He was asking, "why not the mention of a father." The omission implies fathering is incidental and irrelevant -- which is true enough in the minds of the thoughtmakers of our day, but not in Laws of Nature.

Great accomplishment, no doubt. I've long thought that a woman can do just about anything a man can do, at least as well as a man can.

But does that mean she should? I guess all those missed birthdays were worth it, eh. Hopefully thoughts of you got them through.

[Denver Ditdat]

Indeed! The one holding the baby is a cutie, too.

[cyborg]

I'm just guessing dad is deceased but this is FR and a black woman with six kids has to be a welfare case EVEN if she achieves greatness in the Marine Corps.

[rogue yam]

I wonder if maybe some of these daughters (or even all of them) are adopted?

[Indy Pendance]

That was my thought, possibly a marine KIA. It's not mentioned, so, it might be sensitive to the family.