A Living History

A Living History.

2004 marked 20 years of service for Chief Jelinski-Hall. However, her meteoric rise through the history books of the American Military was just ramping up.

By 2006, she held two positions simultaneously—one as the first female command Chief Master Sergeant for the Hawai‘i Air National Guard and a second as the state senior enlisted leader for the Hawai‘i National Guard (Army and Air), also the first woman in that position. That is, until 2010, when Gen. Craig McKinley appointed her as his Senior Enlisted Advisor (SEA) for the National Guard Bureau—once again, the first member of the Air National Guard and first woman in American history to serve as an Advisor to a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

As the 3rd Senior Enlisted Advisor to the National Guard Bureau Chief, her responsibilities included advising General McKinley and General Frank Grass on all enlisted matters affecting training, utilization, health of the force, families, and enlisted professional development of more than 415,000 National Guard Soldiers and Airmen in the 50 states, three territories, and the District of Columbia (“the 54”).

While assigned to the Pentagon, Chief Jelinski-Hall served on numerous executive level committees representing the National Guard Enlisted Corps. She travelled across the 54 and overseas, visiting with National Guard Soldiers, Airmen, and their families. She brought back critical information and feedback from the field to improve policies, programs, and quality of life for all Guardsmen.

She represented the National Guard at the White House and at senior-level meetings and events with the Secretary of Defense and Joint Chiefs of Staff. Chief Jelinski-Hall spoke to diverse audiences throughout the world and routinely engaged with members of Congress, their staffs, and senior industry leaders on Capitol Hill.

Chief Jelinski-Hall held this position until her retirement in 2013.