By LESLIE MIELKE
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BLACKFOOT — Graduating from Blackfoot High School, Joyce (Joy) Stevens said she needed direction.
“I didn’t know what I wanted to be,” she said. “I wanted to learn a skill and see a little bit of the world, so I joined the National Guard.”
Stevens entered the service in April 1979 as a Private (E1) in Boise and attended Officer Candidate School at the Idaho Military Academy, earning her commission. She moved to Texas soon after that and joined the Texas Army National Guard.
Thirty years later, Stevens is a Brigadier General. Her formal title is Commander, Texas Army National Guard/ Assistant Adjutant General, Army, Texas (an appointment from Texas Governor Rick Perry in March 2009). Stevens is the highest-ranking woman in Texas military history.
As Assistant Adjutant General, the focus is on the state mission—Defense Support to Civil Authorities, reporting to the Governor through the Adjutant General, Stevens said. As commander, the focus is more on the Federal mission—preparing to support the Global War on Terror.
“Considered together, I command the Texas Army National Guard, a force of approximately 19,000 Soldiers and act as a resourcing headquarters (personnel, equipment, training and administration) so that the force is ready to deploy,” she said. Stevens is stationed at Camp Mabry in northwestern Austin, Texas.
In 2005-2006, she deployed with her troops to Afghanistan. Her unit was responsible for the management and security of Bagram Air Field and for the security and reconstruction of areas in Provinces across Afghanistan.
The end of her deployment came about the same time as the Muslim reaction to the Danish editorial cartoons featuring Mohammed.
“The gates of our base were nearly adjacent to the village,” Stevens said. “Fires were in the village as well as women and children; Afghan riot police killed two civilians.”
“It was not a good day but I was proud of our soldiers,” she said. “The soldiers showed great restraint and did not open up on the crowd.”
Afghanistan is a male dominated society. As a woman in authority and standing 5 feet, 10 inches, with uncovered fair hair and blue eyes, Stevens stood out.
“Most men in Afghanistan accepted me; some didn’t,” Stevens said. “The men were respectful, somewhat distant; they worked well with me.”
“I was helped by an American interpreter who was raised in Kabul,” she said. “He was a retired airline pilot who saw that he could do something for the American and Afghan people.”
“He knew the customs and would tell me, for example, when I could shake hands with a man or when the traditional greeting was appropriate,” she said. The traditional greeting is to put a hand over one’s heart and say (in the Afghani language), “God be with you.”
“If I was about to make a mistake, my interpreter would speak to me in English, so I could correct what I was doing,” she said.
Stevens met her husband in the Army. “We met as captains and moved up the ranks together,” she said.
Serving in the Army is a great way of life, “The more you give to the Army, the more the Army gives to you.”
Her family, including her mom, dad and big sister were huge influences in her life. “I think my work ethic could be directly attributed them, especially my mom,” she said.
Her mother, Beatrice Stevens Christiansen from Blackfoot, was a “Rosie the Riverter,” She had left Minnesota and school in order to work. She work at a base in California during WWII taking parts off crashed airplanes so they could be used as repair parts.
Twenty years later, Christiansen earned her GED and certification as a Licensed Vocational Nurse.
“I cannot imagine the courage it took to do this while raising an elementary school student (Stevens) and my older sister in high school, preparing for college, Stevens said.
The LVN course was fast paced and had difficult tests. She used to read the material and then have me read it to her while she cooked or did housework so that she could retain the lessons.
“Mom always said, ‘do more than you are asked to do and volunteer for extra work.’”
Throughout her career, Stevens has combined her mother’s work ethic with advice from her own Army mentors. She has sought out the recognition brought by “blame line” jobs. ‘If something goes bad, it’s because of you; if it goes good, it’s because of you,” Stevens said.
She encourages anyone who wants to succeed, be it in a military or civilian career, to “seek out those hard career-building jobs to get where you’re going; don’t leave things to chance. Talk to your supervisors so they know.”
Stevens is a good example of her own advice.
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