European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 6, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse By Rosemary Sawyer staff writer Hollywood has stopped dangling movie offers in front of West Point graduate Kristin m. Baker. Book publishers have quit making bestseller promises. Requests for to newspaper and Magazine interviews a once numbering in the hundreds a have dwindled. Since graduation More than a year ago the military Academy a first female brigade commander has slipped into an Anonymous sea of 11,000 army second lieutenants. Now a platoon Leader with co a 302nd military intelligence in in Mainz Germany the Soldier whose Story has appeared in publications from . News and world report to seventeen said she a Happy to have ducked the limelight. In fact the 23-year-old said it would suit her Fine if the nearly three dozen soldiers in her military intelligence platoon never knew she followed in the footsteps of famous first captains Douglas Macarthur and John Pershing lunched with former president Reagan and chatted with Gen. Colin Powell chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. Baker said her fellow soldiers at Fin then army Airfield have never said very much about her former celebrity status at West Point. A when they do it May be an occasional ribbing where somebody had found an old article and brought it in or something a said Baker whose platoon is responsible for the support of the company a electronic intelligence systems. Baker said she Hasni to Felt that the soldiers expected her to be superwoman just because she once oversaw the activities of 4,400 future army officers at the Academy. Quot they All have certain expectations of lieutenants. I be been More than Happy to fulfil those expectations such As asking lieutenant questions and hoping to get the Best no answers i can Quot the Rookie officer said with a Grin. Baker s company commander capt. Robert Mcdaniel said the new lieutenant in the newly formed company is Quot considered quite highly among her Mcdaniel who has commanded the 103-member company since its formation in january 1990, described Baker As a Quot very competent officer who likes to do her Baker also has received High Marks from her troops said one member of the Mission support platoon she leads. Quot she turned out to be something we really did t expect coming from West Point and what she d accomplished at West Point Quot said sgt Toennis Wilson a nine year army Veteran. Quot she showed she genuinely cared for the Wilson said Baker was Quot very Low key Quot about her West Point past. By Kristin Baker wan a West Point to shirt during an Academy Tel Nung Day. Quot she tries to put that behind her and move Forward which is really Good. She sets her own goals and works toward them without having to live up to that limelight that she was in Quot Wilson said. Seven months into her three year assignment Baker said she a found her platoon Leader task to be More challenging than her Academy responsibilities. Quot even though there were 4,400 people i had four regimental commanders and a staff so i worked with a total of maybe nine people regularly and the other people i just saw Quot Baker said. Quot working with a platoon you have a very Small group of people that you see every Day. They come in and out and every single one of them has a question they want to ask one thing Baker said she does t miss is the pressure she Felt while carrying a full academic Load and serving As first Captain of the nations oldest military Academy. Quot it Wasny to until i got to my officer Basic course after airborne school that i really realized How much pressure id been under Quot said Baker who received a Bachelor of science degree in human factors engineering. Quot my whole personality was almost different based on the fact that i was continually under Baker said she could depend on a 1966 West Point graduate to help her make it through her senior year at the elite Academy where women make up just 10 percent of the enrolment. The West Pointer whom Baker Calls Quot dad Quot and others Call col. Robert Baker had an uncanny Way of helping her look at her task in perspective with her age and limited experience she said. Quot that for me was really important Quot Baker said Quot because i really did sometimes feel like people expected me to be 45 years old and making All the Quot Correct decisions. It just Wasny to when Baker garnered one of the five positions from which the first Captain is traditionally chosen she went Home and announced Quot you know dad i could become the first Captain. I could become the brigade commander Quot Baker recalled. A the looked at me and said it will never happen. Quot my dad basically said West Points not ready Quot said Baker who in 199ttiwas part of the Academy a tenth coed graduating class. That prompted Baker to ask herself whether she was ready to be a woman in that position. After pondering the question she concluded that there probably would never come a Day when Quot All of a sudden everybody says of we re ready Quot so she might As Well go for it. That summer As 2nd detail commander of Cadet Basic training Baker said she Quot really worked hard to do everything i could for the new cadets and to make everything work Well for her efforts a combined with a glowing record in military and leadership roles a paid off. But Baker is the first to acknowledge that she had some doubts along the Way especially with an academic record she described As Quot not Quot the people i competed against i knew some of them were absolutely Brilliant Quot Baker said. Quot they had 4.0 Baker had a 3.36 Grade Point average entering her. Senior year and said she never worried about grades. Quot i wanted to learn everything i possibly could and that s the Way i approached academics so i suppose some people worried about getting a son everything. I worried about learning everything. West Points uni tamale brigade commander uses her sword to scratch barn Lulala in the beast plate of Cadet pvt. Jeff rat suck in May 1990. Quot Why that did no to mean i got a s i done to fortunately she said not everyone at West Point thinks a person has to be Brilliant to be a Good Leader. One of the Brilliant candidates and chief rival for the top Post was Michael Thorson bakery a Boyfriend. Quot it was very awkward for both of us Quot Baker said. Quot it was a Point of turmoil for me my whole senior year because he was absolutely Brilliant and he s an extremely gifted athlete. He was very Good about accepting that fact but it was hard and its still hard for him to look Thorson is now studying economics politics and philosophy at England a Oxford University. The two continue to Date. Reaction to Baker s West Point appointment was mostly positive although she said the year taught her Quot in a very painful Way what a vocal minority by the end of the year Many of her opponents had softened their stance Baker said although she assumes there also were Quot quite a few who never did and never will accept the fact that there Are women at West Point or that there was a female first and Baker received mixed reviews from alumni who returned to the Point for class parades. When the Cadet from Burke va., conducted a ceremonial pass and review she would overhear some alumni whisper Quot there s that female there a that other classes members however went out of their Way to introduce the first Captain to family and friends. Quot it was interesting Quot Baker said. Quot i got a lot of mail from different people. I Learned a lot about How people despite the reactions Baker said she believes that women in the army have the same opportunities Overall As their male counterparts. Quot i Haven to run into any Brick Walls so far a she said. Quot i really think probably the military is one of the few areas today in which that is really respected because there Are so Many policies regarding it that people Are very conscious of it at All Baker frowned on the phrase Quot women in combat Quot pointing out that every member of the armed forces regardless of race religion or sex is armed and Quot had better be prepared to accomplish something in the bigger question of whether women should be deliberately placed in combat wont be answered until society comes to grips with Quot whether or not we can accept women dying for our Baker finished her officer Basic course one month after the end of the persian Gulf War an event she said increased her Job Security. Soldiers from her platoon were still returning from the desert after she arrived in Germany. Baker said Shell probably make the army a career adding that As an army brat she does no to know what it s like not to move around. Quot there Are a lot of and Downs but i can to think of anything else id really rather do. I find the army very challenging and i think it has a lot to offer they All have certain. Expectations of lieutenants. I be been More than Happy to Rul till those expectations such As asking lieutenant questions and hoping to get the Best no answers i can 2nd it. Kristin m. Baker from top banana to second be tenant West Point s former Cadet commander now just an Anonymous platoon Leader Page 14 the stars and stripes wednesday. November 6, 1991 the stars and stripes Page 15
