Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1407173
MM: Do you find that women have to approach leadership differently than men do? Gen. Hammerstedt: I think we'd all be lying if we said our gender did not impact the type of leader we are. I look at gender as another characteristic of who I am. It's just like where we were raised, if we come from a large family, our background, if our parents were in the military or were not, if we grew up in a small town, all of that stuff. Being a female is just one of the dozen characteristics that make me who I am. Just like my male counterpart, his gender is just one part of who he is. Col. Droz: I don't think I've ever consciously said, 'I'm going to be this kind of a leader because of my gender.' I'm the leader I am because of all of those experiences that I've had throughout my life that have made me who I am. And I think that's why I'm in the position that I'm in. That's why the Air Force has invested in me to be a leader. Col. Carns: It's also important to remember that the way the Air Force prepares us is completely gender neutral. We are privileged to be in an organization that is a meritocracy. If you show the potential and the desire, and you're making good judgment and good decisions along the way, that's going to get recognized. MM: What motivated you to join the Air Force? Gen. Hammerstedt: I was the youngest of five kids and grew up in a really small town where very few people joined the military. It was a rural farming community in New Jersey. My decision was about opportunity. I had a friend that applied to the Naval Academy. I had no idea what military academies were, but I applied and didn't get in and ended up going to a prep school and eventually got into the Air Force Academy. The reason people join the military and the reason people stay are often totally polar opposites. That's clearly the case for me. I fell in love with the military — the camaraderie, the unit cohesion, the purpose, doing something larger than yourself. Col. Carns: I grew up in the Air Force. I was born overseas and we moved and moved and moved about 20 or 25 times. I've lost count. My parents' favorite story to tell is about when I was 12. We went to visit the Air Force Academy and I was like, 'Well, this is one thing I know I'm not going to do.' That's their favorite story to tell about me whenever they get a chance. I also did not get in the first year that I applied to the Air Force Academy, which only strengthened my resolve. And I realized that through that experience, it was what I really wanted. So, it was the best thing that could have happened to me. When we enter the Air Force, we come for different reasons, and I ended up staying for a lot of other reasons as well. Col. Droz: I had no active military background. My grandfathers both served in World War II and my grandma was a 'Rosie the Riveter' during World War II, but I didn't find that out until much, much later in life. I wanted to be a pilot. Obviously, I'm not a pilot. I only applied to two schools: the Air Force Academy and the University of Houston because I LEFT: COL. HOLBECK HAS MORE THAN 3,000 FLYING HOURS ON THE E-8C JOINT STARS AIRCRAFT. NEXT PAGE: TOP LEFT, COL. DROZ, HER HUSBAND, JOSH, AND FAMILY AT THE 78TH AIR BASE WING CHANGE OF COMMAND. BOTTOM LEFT, GEN. HAMMERSTEDT, COL. HOLBECK, COL. DROZ AND COL. CARNS AT THE CHANGE OF COMMAND. RIGHT, COL. CARNS WITH HER HUSBAND, MATT JOLLEY, AND THEIR SON. 44 maconmagazine.com | AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2021