By: Sinclair Johnson-Knight
Retired Lt. General Karen Gibson is electric as we sit in front of one another on video chat. It is 6 a.m. in her hometown of Bozeman, Montana, and as I struggle into a state of awakeness, her demeanor never wavers from that of a woman who is utterly self-assured, poised, and passionate about her life as a woman veteran.
First commissioned to join the military in May of 1986, Karen originally decided to serve to fund her college education. Karen joined the ROTC program at Purdue University, where she was able to graduate with a degree in Industrial Engineering in December of 1986. Karen then was commissioned as an Active Duty Army Officer, and from there, her military career flourished.
“I had a sense even back then that I wanted to save the world, and looking back, I really had no idea that the military would be the institution through which I could accomplish that goal,” Karen stated.
“Serving in the military made me feel like I was one of the good guys, where deep thinking and tactfulness could truly make a difference.”
Karen states that she didn’t really think of herself as a female officer or female role model until later on in her career.” In the military, if you are exceptional at what you do, then people want you to be a part of the team,” she said. “Save for the one woman I ever worked for, it wasn’t until later in my career that I realized all of my role models so far had been men.”
Along with a dearth of female role models, there were even fewer with children. “None of the women above me had children, and most of my peers who decided to have families left the Army in order to become mothers,” she explained. But of course, Karen didn’t shy away from charting her own path. “My daughter was born three days before my promotion to captain,” she said proudly.
Balancing family life, health, and her high-ranking position in the military wasn’t easy for Karen. “In the military environment where everything is a crisis, you’re exposed to adrenaline and cortisol all day, every day. It became addictive, but was also hard on my body.” Karen also mentioned that she suffered a heart attack in 2018, though for no apparent reason. “I have squeaky clean arteries without any cholesterol buildup, so this was a real wake-up call.”
In December of 2007, Karen was diagnosed with breast cancer.
“I didn’t realize how core the military was to me until I got cancer,” she said. “Even though I had military chaplains to help me through the process, it was hard on my identity. I felt like I was being thrust into a different world.” During her treatment as she spent time away from the military, Karen’s role shifted from warrior to wife and mother, and she realized that this wasn’t everything she was. She felt unfulfilled, but struggled with the idea that it wasn’t enough.
After Karen was diagnosed with breast cancer, she felt for the first time in her life that her femininity was threatened.
“I began to cherish the part of myself that was distinctly a female Soldier.”
“I was intensely introspective after having cancer,” Karen reflected. “I reassessed my unique position as a woman in the military, reconnected with other women in our shared identity and, when I became a General, really began to accept being a role model in ways that I hadn’t truly realized before.” She also began to embrace the color pink.
In the fall of 2019, Karen finally decided that she would retire from the Army after 33 years of service. “The transition from military to civilian life has been difficult for me,” she started. “With my retirement coinciding with COVID-19, I find that for the first time in my life I am not surrounded by a team, and I no longer have battle buddies who help sustain my morale.”
She goes on to state that this is also the first time that someone hasn’t been directing her as to what to do and where to go in her career. “Defining new criteria for success is also a pretty big challenge,” she said. “In the military, you know when you’re doing a good job, and success has been clearly defined for you.”
“I decided that my new definition of success will not be based on revenue, but upon whether I can have impact and act as a force for good in the world,” she continued.
“Looking back, I am incredibly proud of my professional accomplishments and the teams I was a part of in the military. I think it is unusual to find people who were as passionate about their careers as I was,” she said. “And it’s hard to know that those once immensely meaningful contributions are now behind you.”
As a new retiree, Karen is still evaluating her employment options, while devoting additional free time to causes that are important to her, such as voter education and registration. She is currently a volunteer for The League of Women Voters. Once blind to all the organizations that existed for military women, she is now an engaged and radiant member of the Command Presence network. “I am starting over this time around, but I don’t have to start from scratch,” she concludes.