Women break barriers and join ranks of cavalry scouts in Army National Guard

Every Soldier in the Nebraska Army National Guard has a story: the reasons why they joined the military, picked their particular military occupational specialty (MOS) job, or serve in their military unit of choice.For two Soldiers serving in the Nebraska Army National Guard's Troop B, 1-134th Cavalry, the stories are particularly different than those around them. That's because Sgt. Nicole Havlovic and Sgt. Danielle Martin are two of only a very few women serving in the Nebraska cavalry squadron. In fact, the two Nebraskans are one of only a few women in the nation who have successfully graduated from the Army's tough combat arms MOS school and earned the title of "cavalry scout."Havlovic originally joined the Nebraska Army National Guard as a water treatment specialist. However, after serving for six years, she decided to leave the Guard for a year. "I got out because I was bored," Havlovic said. "I really didn't have any guidance about what I could do or what the possibilities were. I wanted to do something different and fun and be out there training."It was that desire to do something different that drove Havlovic to join the Nebraska Army Guard cavalry squadron. "I felt like it would be a really good fit. I'm pretty outdoorsy and this -- being out in the field -- doesn't bother me at all," Havlovic said.Sgt. Danielle Martin's route to being a cavalry scout was not a direct one, either."I've always wanted to go into combat arms," Martin said. "It really was a year before joining the military that I knew combat arms was what I wanted to do. However, I was still junior enlisted and so I really couldn't do much about it."The last restrictions against women serving in combat roles were lifted in 2013. However, Army regulations specified that units were first required to have two female cavalry scouts in leadership positions before other female Soldiers would be allowed to join their ranks. This made integrating junior-ranking women into the units all that much more difficult.So, Martin began her career in the Nebraska Army National Guard as an automated logistical specialist before joining a military police unit. After rising to the rank of sergeant, Martin said she finally saw a way to reach her combat arms goal."It was already on my radar that I had just gotten my E-5 [sergeant] and I wanted to go to 19-Delta [cavalry scout] school," Martin said.Both Sergeants attended a cavalry scout reclassification school, an Army school designed to train Soldiers from other MOS in the skills needed to become operational cavalry scouts. Martin attended the November reclassification course in Boise, Idaho. After completing the course, she reported to the Mead, Nebraska-based Troop B this past January.Martin said the reception she received from her new unit let her know that they respected her newly-earned skills. It wasn't about changing who anyone was, she said, but having a mutual respect between Soldiers."They don't treat me any differently just because I'm female," said Martin. "I'm one of the guys and I think it needs to be that way... I'm not coming in here to change them. I'm coming in here because I know I can physically and mentally handle it, and I want to do the job."Havlovic attended the cavalry scout transition course in Smyrna, Tennessee, and reported to Troop B in April 2019. She said her fellow Soldiers don't treat her differently than any other member of the unit."They really don't treat me any differently," Havlovic said. "I don't expect them to…I expect them to believe that they can trust me with the mission and what we have to do and be able to keep up and be trustworthy and dependable…Everyone has actually been really welcoming to me."