Martha Rainville was elected Adjutant General of the Vermont National Guard on this day i

n 1997. It was a first, not only for Vermont, but for the nation, as well. She was elected by the Vermont Legislature, putting her in command over 4,000 members of the Vermont Army and Air National Guard.

Rainville was the first female Adjutant General in an organization which, at that time, was more than 360 years old. As Rainville rose through the ranks, her area of expertise was aircraft maintenance. Rainville served as Vermont’s Adjutant General for just over nine years, stepping down in 2006 to run for U.S. Congress.

Image courtesy the Vermont Veterans' Militia Museum & Library.