Deborah Loewer
Encyclopedia
Deborah A. Loewer was the first warfare qualified woman promoted to flag rank in the United States Navy
. She was frocked
to the rank of Rear Admiral
(Lower Half) on October 1, 2003. Rear Admiral Loewer retired in 2007.
. She was commissioned as an ensign
on December 17, 1976 after graduating as the top female student and second in her class of 110 students at the Officer Candidate School
(OCS) in Newport, RI. She was the first female battalion commander at NAVOCS.
From 1976 until March 1979, she served as the U.S. Navy's Pay and Allowance Functional Manager at the Bureau of Naval Personnel (PERS-3) in Washington, D.C.
She was selected to be one of the first women officers in Surface Warfare and in 1979 graduated number one in her class at the Surface Warfare Officer Basic Course in Newport, RI.
As one of the first women officers assigned to shipboard duty, then Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Loewer served in the Navy destroyer tender USS Yosemite
as Electrical Division Officer, Operations Officer, Navigator and Administrative officer.
Further assignments included a tour in the Navy destroyer tender USS Yellowstone
, where then Lieutenant Commander Loewer served as engineer and executive officer, and on board the Navy fleet oiler USS Monongahela
, where she served as executive officer.
As a Commander, she served as the commanding officer of the U.S. Navy ammunition ship USS Mount Baker
from 1993 to 1995 and at the rank of Captain, the commanding officer aboard the fleet oiler USS Camden
from 1998 to 2000.
Shore tours included assignment as military assistant to Deputy Secretary of Defense John P. White
from 1995 to 1997 and military assistant to Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen from 1997 to 1998. In September 2000, she was requested for a return tour of duty as the military assistant to Secretary Cohen. A year later, she assumed duties as Director, White House Situation Room and Director, Systems and Technical Planning Staff. She was selected for admiral while she was in this position. She became vice commander of Military Sealift Command in July 2003.
As the vice commander of the U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command, headquartered in Washington, D.C., Rear Adm. Loewer was second in command of a global transportation agency with a workforce of more than 8,000 and a fleet of more than 120 active ships whose primary mission is to move U.S. Military cargo for deployed U.S. forces in times of war and other national crises.
Rear Adm. Loewer became Commander, Mine Warfare Command on January 13, 2005.
or her deputy, Stephen Hadley
, to go along on a presidential trip to handle any national security questions that might come up, in the instance of President George W. Bush
's trip to the Emma E. Booker Elementary School
in Sarasota, Florida
, as Rice will later recall, Bush’s trip was “such a short trip that we decided not to do that.” In their place, they sent Navy Captain Deborah Loewer, the director of the White House Situation Room
. On September 11, 2001, between 8:46 a.m. and 8:55 a.m., Loewer was traveling in President Bush’s motorcade toward Booker Elementary School when she learned of the first crash of an airplane into the World Trade Center
from her deputy in the Situation Room at the White House. According to some reports, as soon as the motorcade reached the school, Loewer ran from her car to Bush’s car, and informed Bush.
degree in theoretical mathematics
and computer science
from Wright State University
in 1976. She was selected as an Olmsted Scholar and studied at the Defense Language Institute
in Monterey, California, and the Goethe Institute in Stuttgart, Germany. Upon graduation, she went on to earn her Ph.D.
in international law
from the University of Kiel
in Kiel, Germany, in 1986.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. She was frocked
Frocking
Frocking is a United States military term for a commissioned or non-commissioned officer selected for promotion wearing the insignia of the higher grade before the official date of promotion . An officer or NCO who has been selected for promotion may be authorized to "frock" to the next grade...
to the rank of Rear Admiral
Rear admiral (United States)
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. The uniformed services of the United States are unique in having two grades of rear admirals.- Rear admiral :...
(Lower Half) on October 1, 2003. Rear Admiral Loewer retired in 2007.
Military biography
Loewer is a native of Springfield, OhioSpringfield, Ohio
Springfield is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Clark County. The municipality is located in southwestern Ohio and is situated on the Mad River, Buck Creek and Beaver Creek, approximately west of Columbus and northeast of Dayton. Springfield is home to Wittenberg...
. She was commissioned as an ensign
Ensign
An ensign is a national flag when used at sea, in vexillology, or a distinguishing token, emblem, or badge, such as a symbol of office in heraldry...
on December 17, 1976 after graduating as the top female student and second in her class of 110 students at the Officer Candidate School
Officer Candidate School
Officer Candidate School or Officer Cadet School are institutions which train civilians and enlisted personnel in order for them to gain a commission as officers in the armed forces of a country....
(OCS) in Newport, RI. She was the first female battalion commander at NAVOCS.
From 1976 until March 1979, she served as the U.S. Navy's Pay and Allowance Functional Manager at the Bureau of Naval Personnel (PERS-3) in Washington, D.C.
She was selected to be one of the first women officers in Surface Warfare and in 1979 graduated number one in her class at the Surface Warfare Officer Basic Course in Newport, RI.
As one of the first women officers assigned to shipboard duty, then Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Loewer served in the Navy destroyer tender USS Yosemite
USS Yosemite
USS Yosemite may refer to:*USS Yosemite , an auxiliary cruiser that served in the U.S. Navy from 1898 to 1900 and fought in the Spanish-American War*USS Yosemite , a destroyer tender that served in the U.S. Navy from 1943 to 1994...
as Electrical Division Officer, Operations Officer, Navigator and Administrative officer.
Further assignments included a tour in the Navy destroyer tender USS Yellowstone
USS Yellowstone
Three ships of the United States Navy have borne the name USS Yellowstone, after Yellowstone National Park.* USS Yellowstone was a freighter, launched as War Boy in 1917 and struck in 1918...
, where then Lieutenant Commander Loewer served as engineer and executive officer, and on board the Navy fleet oiler USS Monongahela
USS Monongahela
USS Monongahela may refer to:, was launched in 1862 and served during the American Civil War, was an oiler acquired by the US Navy in July 1942 and decommissioned August 1957, was an oiler launched in 1979 and decommissioned in 1999...
, where she served as executive officer.
As a Commander, she served as the commanding officer of the U.S. Navy ammunition ship USS Mount Baker
USS Mount Baker
USS Mount Baker may refer to:, a Type C2 ship originally commissioned as Kilauea in May 1941 and renamed Mount Baker, March 1943. She was decommissioned and struck in 1969...
from 1993 to 1995 and at the rank of Captain, the commanding officer aboard the fleet oiler USS Camden
USS Camden
USS Camden has been the name of two ships in the United States Navy:, the former Kiel, served as a submarine tender from 1919-1931, then as a barracks ship during World War II., a fast combat support ship, 1967-2005....
from 1998 to 2000.
Shore tours included assignment as military assistant to Deputy Secretary of Defense John P. White
John P. White
Dr. John P. White BS, MA, PhD is an American university professor and a former Government official who served in the Clinton Administration.White is the Robert and Renee Belfer Lecturer at the John F...
from 1995 to 1997 and military assistant to Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen from 1997 to 1998. In September 2000, she was requested for a return tour of duty as the military assistant to Secretary Cohen. A year later, she assumed duties as Director, White House Situation Room and Director, Systems and Technical Planning Staff. She was selected for admiral while she was in this position. She became vice commander of Military Sealift Command in July 2003.
As the vice commander of the U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command, headquartered in Washington, D.C., Rear Adm. Loewer was second in command of a global transportation agency with a workforce of more than 8,000 and a fleet of more than 120 active ships whose primary mission is to move U.S. Military cargo for deployed U.S. forces in times of war and other national crises.
Rear Adm. Loewer became Commander, Mine Warfare Command on January 13, 2005.
9/11
While it would usually have been the responsibility of National Security Adviser Condoleezza RiceCondoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice is an American political scientist and diplomat. She served as the 66th United States Secretary of State, and was the second person to hold that office in the administration of President George W. Bush...
or her deputy, Stephen Hadley
Stephen Hadley
Stephen John Hadley was the 21st U.S. Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs , serving under President George W. Bush....
, to go along on a presidential trip to handle any national security questions that might come up, in the instance of President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
's trip to the Emma E. Booker Elementary School
Emma E. Booker Elementary School
Emma E. Booker Elementary School is an elementary school in Sarasota, Florida which opened in the fall of 1989. It is named for Emma E. Booker, an African-American educator who founded the first black school in Sarasota County, Florida....
in Sarasota, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, as Rice will later recall, Bush’s trip was “such a short trip that we decided not to do that.” In their place, they sent Navy Captain Deborah Loewer, the director of the White House Situation Room
White House Situation Room
The White House Situation Room is a conference room and intelligence management center in the basement of the West Wing of the White House. It is run by the National Security Council staff for the use of the President of the United States and his advisors to monitor and deal...
. On September 11, 2001, between 8:46 a.m. and 8:55 a.m., Loewer was traveling in President Bush’s motorcade toward Booker Elementary School when she learned of the first crash of an airplane into the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
from her deputy in the Situation Room at the White House. According to some reports, as soon as the motorcade reached the school, Loewer ran from her car to Bush’s car, and informed Bush.
Decorations
Defense Distinguished Service MedalDefense Distinguished Service MedalThe Defense Distinguished Service Medal is a United States military award which is presented for exceptionally distinguished performance of duty contributing to national security or defense of the United States...
with Gold Star
Defense Superior Service MedalDefense Superior Service MedalThe Defense Superior Service Medal is a senior United States military decoration of the Department of Defense, awarded to members of the United States armed forces who perform "superior meritorious service in a position of significant responsibility."...
Legion of MeritLegion of MeritThe Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...
Meritorious Service MedalMeritorious Service Medal (United States)The Meritorious Service Medal is a military decoration presented to members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguished themselves by outstanding meritorious achievement or service to the United States subsequent to January 16, 1969...
with Gold Star
Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with two Gold Stars
Education
Loewer received her Bachelor of ScienceBachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree in theoretical mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
and computer science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
from Wright State University
Wright State University
Wright State University is a comprehensive public university with strong doctoral, research, and undergraduate programs, rated among the 260 Best National Universities listed in the annual "America's Best Colleges" rankings by U.S. News and World Report. Wright State is located in Fairborn, Ohio,...
in 1976. She was selected as an Olmsted Scholar and studied at the Defense Language Institute
Defense Language Institute
The Defense Language Institute is a United States Department of Defense educational and research institution, which provides linguistic and cultural instruction to the Department of Defense, other Federal Agencies and numerous and varied other customers...
in Monterey, California, and the Goethe Institute in Stuttgart, Germany. Upon graduation, she went on to earn her Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in international law
International law
Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of sovereign states; analogous entities, such as the Holy See; and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond...
from the University of Kiel
University of Kiel
The University of Kiel is a university in the city of Kiel, Germany. It was founded in 1665 as the Academia Holsatorum Chiloniensis by Christian Albert, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp and has approximately 23,000 students today...
in Kiel, Germany, in 1986.