Command Sergeant Major Deborah Jean Collins, Army National Guard, Retired

Deborah Jean Collins was born on September 15, 1956, in Booneville, Arkansas, and raised in Russellville, Arkansas. After graduating from Russellville High School in 1974, she enlisted in the Arkansas Army National Guard on July 30, 1975. Her initial assignment was with Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 217th Maintenance Battalion in her hometown. At that time, the Arkansas Army National Guard had only begun accepting female recruits in 1973, resulting in very few women serving by 1975. In an interview for the Library of Congress Veterans History Project, Collins described how early female enlistees were required to serve three years and possess a high school diploma—requirements not imposed on male counterparts. She also recounted her formative experience during her first annual training, when she inadvertently continued driving beyond a convoy’s rest stop to Fort Chaffee. Rather than receiving reprimand, Collins found support from her leadership, an experience which motivated her to never be unprepared again and sparked her aspiration to become a sergeant major.

Throughout her distinguished 39-year career, Collins consistently demonstrated superior performance. She graduated from the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy in 1991 and became the first female State Command Sergeant Major in Arkansas, and the third in the nation. She played a pivotal role in developing the Arkansas National Guard Funeral Honors Program, providing military funeral honors statewide. Serving as the inaugural Arkansas National Guard Senior Enlisted Leader, she advocated on behalf of Soldiers and Airmen and contributed to multiple councils, committees, and boards at state, regional, and national levels. From 2004 to 2011, she served on the CSM Advisory Council, culminating in her election as Chair in 2009. Renowned for her adherence to standards, she earned the nickname "Iron Britches.” Collins’s awards include the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal with Silver and Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Commendation Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, among many others. She resides in North Little Rock, Arkansas, with her husband, Mike.