Official portrait with I Am Not Invisible Project. (WVM.OH2961)
National Airborne Day, observed on August 16, is a day to remember in the history of the airborne forces of the United States military. The 82nd Airborne Division, based in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, is a storied unit with a history of sending their finest paratroopers into combat. Women were not generally a part of this history for many decades. The first women to be assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division arrived in 1978, with ongoing integration continuing into the 1980s.
When Jamie Gular decided to join the military in September 1986, she was not aware of her future as part of military history. A native of Wautoma, Wisconsin, Gular grew up on a dairy farm, developing a strong work ethic. Her decision to join the military at age 18 was due to general interest in the military, as well as not having any well-defined college goals. She was off to Basic Training at Fort McClellan, Alabama, which was her first time out of Wisconsin.
After graduating from Basic Training, Gular traveled to Fort Jackson, South Carolina, for Advanced Individual Training (AIT). She became an administrative specialist. During her interview, Gular noted that she had never been a good typist and was not particularly interested in office work, having expressed more of an interest in being a military police officer. However, she learned to love the duality of being a soldier but also working in an office. She began to appreciate taking care of soldiers on an administrative level.
Towards the end of AIT, Gular’s friends were headed to a briefing for jump school. Gular tagged along for support but then ended up signing up for Airborne school.
GULAR: “So, before I signed up for that, I honestly was not looking at Airborne. I didn't go in saying I was going to be Airborne, didn't really know a whole lot about it then. Friends of mine talked me into going to the briefing. They said, Jazz, come to us with this briefing for support. I'm like, what is it? And they said, Airborne. I'm, like, who the hell would want to jump out of a plane? Perfectly good airplane. And they're like, come on, just come with us. I'm like alright, I'm going with you, I'll support you. Next thing you know, I am signing the line. And again, it was all about adventure and trying things I never tried and -- and of course they do a super great job with the video and really marketing and I found myself signing that line—”
Official Army Photograph of Jamie J. Gular.
The Basic Airborne course at Fort Benning, Georgia, led by jumpmasters referred to as “Black Hats,” was challenging. Students were expected to keep up with physical expectations or else be kicked out with no second chances. Gular and her class learned how to jump off high platforms before graduating to dropping from 250’ towers. After completing the course, Gular had officially earned her parachutist wings. She then received her orders to the 82nd Aviation Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
She arrived in June 1987 and quickly learned she was the only woman around.
GULAR: “Going to Fort Bragg was really interesting because it was really heavy on the male side. There was hardly any women at that point. You know, that's back in the '80s. So, the 82nd had just started accepting women into the 82nd Airborne. A lot of them were assigned to headquarters because headquarters does have more of a heavy admin side of it. And I was assigned to the aviation brigade which was totally kind of off-the-wall for where my other friends were going. All of those they were going to the 82nd Headquarters for the most part except for some of the guys went down the street. But and I remember telling like why can't I go with my friends? Why am I the only one going to the aviation brigade and they said oh you will thank us once you get there you will know why and you'll thank us later why you're in the aviation brigade or for sending you to the aviation brigade. I'm like no at that point I just wanted to be with my friends—"
Despite her concerns about being alone, she was greeted at Fort Bragg by Sergeant McCrumb, a fellow Wisconsinite. Gular quickly learned that the only other woman in the brigade was on maternity leave, meaning Gular was effectively the only woman around.
GULAR: “When I walked into the door it was buzzing. Everybody was talking, working, whatever, and it's a big open bay and all of a sudden everything just went hush. It went from buzzing to and everybody is staring at me. So, I was like this alien that just walked in and the sergeant who was in charge, he walked out to find out what was going on and he's kind of a funny guy. He's this short, a little bit chubbier Hispanic guy and he comes out with his hands on his hips and he was like, “What is everybody looking at you, numbskulls? Get back to work.” And he is just given, you know, and then he goes, you, in my office. And I'm like, ah, this is not the way I want to start this. This is just way too much attention. And I went in his office and he's standing there with his hands on his hips, take a drag off his cigarette because back then you could smoke too. And he was rubbing his head. He's like, ‘What the F--- am I supposed to do with you?’”
Gular acknowledges that this transition was impacting everyone in the brigade in some way. She went on to meet her fellow soldiers, with one of them being her future husband, Kevin Gular. She remembers Kevin telling her: “If you need anything, do not hesitate.” Gular appreciated his concern. They became best friends for a few months before they began dating. The other men in her brigade became like brothers to her, with some of them growing protective over Gular after she began experiencing harassment from her first sergeant. The constant nitpicking criticism from this first sergeant involved the length of her hair, which was never in “regulation.” She responded by getting an extremely short haircut. Afterward, the first sergeant stopped bothering her.
Gular assisting a fellow soldier; example of her short haircut.
In her interview, Gular describes the 82nd Aviation Brigade as an “elite unit” with strict discipline down to perfect dress code. While working in the office, Gular had to learn how to use brand new computers. During Operation Desert Storm/Desert Shield, the 82nd was deployed overseas. Gular was kept as rear detachment while her husband left for a year. While at first she had some conflicted feelings about staying behind, she eventually came to understand the importance of her role in taking care of her fellow soldiers and their families during difficult times.
In 1991, Fort Bragg began offering their own jumpmaster course. Gular explains that she had told her grandfather that she wanted to graduate from jump school and become a jumpmaster, so she put in her paperwork to join. However, at first, she faced some pushback due to her gender.
GULAR: “Well, the same captain that kept screaming for me to come forward and be deployed was the same captain that was going, he denied my jumpmaster packet. And he said, ‘I'm not signing that.’ He said, ‘You're a female and you're not going to get deployed so I'm not signing that.’ And, or no, he said ‘You'll never jump into combat so why should I sign that?’ And I was so furious because at that point, honestly, the 82nd had not, they haven't jumped into combat for quite some time. Even when we went over to Desert Shield/Desert Storm, they didn't jump in. So, I was furious and the sergeant major saw me, the Command Sergeant Major, he's like, ‘What's up, what's going on Sergeant Gular?’ And I explained it to him, he goes, ‘Give me that paperwork.’ He takes it, he marches into the commander's office, commander signed it, didn't ask any questions, he came back out and back then, of course, there was a lot f-bombs. He goes, ‘Now effin' pass this course. Do not fail.’ And I said, ‘Got it, I will do my best.’ And so, that's why I ended up in the jumpmaster course.”
According to Gular, fifty percent of people fail out of jump school, so the pressure was extremely high. She describes having to lock herself in her room to study and practice using the doors in her house. The course was “very tough.” She again experienced more pushback and criticism due to her gender but ended up excelling and passing the course on her first try.
Gular and her fellow soldiers.
GULAR: “It was a very tough course. I was the only female in that course. And it's interesting when you are a female going through training and when you pass something, even though you have a lot of times put up 110 more percent because you are female, because there's different challenges. When you pass a course, especially like that, there's guys that will say, “Well, she got it before because she's a female.” And that is something that has followed me always, doesn't matter what I did. Um, but then there's others that are, it's just what it is. And that was one of those, I hear some of the guys, well, she passed because she's a female or whatever, and was not the case, because everybody had to do the same thing. They did, there was no gray areas in jumpmaster school. A lot of memorization, you have to learn pre-jump, things like that, inspection of the paratrooper and make sure all their gear is proper. And, yeah, very intense, very tense. So, it was a very proud moment. I know when the last test that we had to do was actions in the aircraft where you give the commands on the aircraft and then you jump out. And if you did something wrong in that test, your paperwork would go out with you. So, as we're watching these guys, I'm like, “Oh no, he just screwed up, but they'll keep going.” And when he jumped out, there goes his paperwork. So, as soon as I jumped out, I didn't even check my chute. I'm looking for paperwork to make sure that I passed. And then when I didn't see the paperwork, I'm like, ‘Yes.’ And so, that was the last test of this. And yeah, it was a very proud moment.”
Her husband Kevin also gifted her with a jumpmaster knife.
Gular’s graduation from jumpmaster school was a special occasion. The first sergeant who harassed her when she arrived at Fort Bragg attended her graduation. He told Gular he was proud of her, mentioned that he was a jumpmaster and Vietnam War veteran, and offered to be jumpmaster with Gular if she needed it.
For some time throughout 1991, Gular served as a jumpmaster. That same year, she also decided to leave the military. She considered re-enlisting, but dreams of starting a family with her husband seemed like more of a priority. The Gulars were also told that if Kevin re-enlisted, the family would be sent to Hawaii, which made their choices easier. Gular acknowledges that trying to become a mother while doing the difficult work of being a jumpmaster would have been a risk.
Gular continued being a supportive veteran and wife to her husband, who remained in the 82nd Airborne Division until he retired at Fort McCoy in 2003. The family remained in Wisconsin. Gular used the GI Bill to go to college, and veterans’ preference has helped her secure jobs in government. She worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs and at Fort McCoy, continuing to support veterans. The Gulars enjoy attending the annual 82nd Airborne Convention, a time when they get to experience being in the military again and speak to all of their fellow veterans.
At the end of her interview, Gular expressed her pride in being a veteran. She also shared the difficulties of comparing her service to her husband’s and being a military spouse. Being a part of I Am Not Invisible helped Gular connect with other women and reflect positively on the importance of her own time in the Army. She also shared that while she and her husband were in the 82nd Airborne together, they always tried to jump separately. The first and only time they jumped together was Kevin’s last jump with the 82nd Airborne, where Gular served as his jumpmaster. She says she had the honor of giving her husband the coveted “door position” on the aircraft for his last jump.
GULAR: “You know, for years, very proud of being a veteran, but because I didn't retire, I kind of was in the shadows for a while of that veteran status, even though I was very proud of it. My husband retired, and so I spent so much of my time also as a spouse of someone who served for twenty years. So, I kind of took on that role and almost forgot about myself, who have served, until probably the last, I don't know, five years or so that I started really looking at, you know, what I have done and then, and going, no, well, just because I did, you know, five years versus twenty years, it's still important and it's still something that I can be extremely proud of because in the Army, back then, there was a slogan, Be All You Can Be, and that is truly what I tried to live by.”
Click here or the below image for the full interview with Jamie J. Gular.
