PORTLAND, Maine — History was made Friday in Augusta as U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Diane Dunn was sworn in as the first woman to lead the Maine National Guard. Dunn will also serve as the Commissioner of the Department of Defense, Veterans, and Emergency Management for the state.
The ceremony was historic, but it was also joyous and oftentimes humorous. Guardsmen, retired generals, fellow commissioners, and state and national legislators all gathered at Camp Chamberlin, the Maine National Guard Joint Forces Headquarters, for the event.
Dunn officially assumed her new role during a "changing of responsibility" ceremony, and Gov. Janet Mills delivered the oath of office to Dunn who appeared to be eager to get to work. For Dunn, Friday’s historical moment was not lost on her, even though she said she's always tried to "diminish the first title."
“I'd be losing an opportunity if I did not use this day, this historic event, to broadcast loud and clear that Maine has opportunities for everyone. I’m proud to be a Mainer and proud to be part of this historic event," Dunn said during a pre-ceremony press conference Friday.
The ceremony highlighted the literal changing of the guard, but there was also time for those present, and for the state, to honor outgoing Commissioner Maj. Gen. Douglas Farnham.
“It has been such an honor and a privilege to be able to be Adjutant General for the state of Maine, and mostly because you’re representing so many incredible people who have made the commitment to serve, the decision to serve," Farnham said before the ceremony. “They get up every day and want to do a good job and want to do the right thing and it’s pretty special to be able to represent them."
Farnham assumed his former post in 2016, appointed by then Gov. Paul LePage. Gov. Mills kept him as the department commissioner when she assumed office. He graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 1984 and has served his state and country for nearly 40 years.
Maine’s Independent Sen. Angus King and Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who appeared by video, both delivered remarks, thanking Farnham for his service and congratulating Dunn. King recalled working with Farnham during the devastating ice storm in 1998, when many Mainers lost power and heat for nearly three weeks.
Lt. Gen. Marc Sasseville, the vice chief of the National Guard Bureau, also surprised Farnham, a fellow Air Force Academy graduate, by traveling from the Pentagon to speak about Farnham’s service and helped present him with a few of the many gifts he recovered.
The outgoing commander was presented two awards by the National Guard Friday, the Distinguished Service medal and the Minuteman award, along with a United States flag flown over the U.S. Capitol building in his honor, and other tributes from his fellow Guardsmen.
Farnham also took time during his remarks Friday to thank all active military members for their service to our state and our country.
Before officially being sworn in as commander and commissioner, Dunn said her focus is on recruiting for the National Guard and retaining current servicemen and servicewomen.
“[We want to recognize what] it is our young Mainers are looking for and how we can match that with opportunities that exist here in the guard," Dunn said.
She also acknowledged problems facing the military like reported sexual assaults between service members. She said that in Maine there are new staff members trained in prevention, which she added was important to enforce a culture that does not tolerate harmful behaviors.
Along with her duties as the head of the Guard, Dunn will also sit on Mills’ cabinet and help the state respond to natural disasters, other emergencies, and help assist veterans with various resources.
Dunn joined the Maine Army National Guard in 1988. In 2014, she became the first woman to command a brigade in the Maine Army National Guard. She also deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan in 2009 and has been awarded dozens of military medals and decorations during more than 30 years of service.
Dunn closed her remarks Friday by sharing advice to young Mainers and told them to learn as much as they can, work as hard as they can, and serve their state as best as they can.
"Have dreams, chase those dreams, don't quit, and continue to find those opportunities to find whatever those dreams might be, and my goal is for people to be able to do that here in the state of Maine," she said before the ceremony.