For the transition from February’s Black History Month to March’s Women’s History Month, here is the dynamic story of a mother-daughter duo that embodies the very best of both these months. Together, they have given over 33 combined years of military service, but their story isn’t just about time served — it’s about a legacy of care that refused to end just because the uniform came off.
Meet DeCarol “Dee” Scott, a pioneer of the Women’s Army Corps, and her daughter, retired Air Force Command Chief Kimberly Pollard.
Groundbreaking foundations
Before there was “Kim,” there was her mother, “Dee.” From 1973 to 1981, during the final, transformative years of the Women’s Army Corps (WAC), Scott served in the Army as an eye specialist.
This was a pivotal time for women in the military, and Scott specifically. She left the Army while pregnant with her daughter, but that didn’t stop her drive. She simply changed uniforms.
“Watching that shaped my understanding of service — not only caring for others, but creating possibility,” Pollard reflected on her mother’s service. Scott took the opportunities the military provided. She went to nursing school using her VA G.I. Bill benefits, became a registered nurse, continued her service as an Army civilian, and built stability for her family.
To the top: Pollard’s rise in the Air Force
With a role model like her mother, it’s no surprise Pollard answered the call to serve. But she didn’t just serve, she excelled.
Pollard went on to serve 25 years and, by the end of her spectacular career, she had risen to the very pinnacle of the enlisted ranks, retiring as a graduated Command Chief (E-9) and Chief of Enlisted Developmental Education.
If you know military structure, you know that becoming a command chief isn’t just about longevity; it’s about elite leadership, competence and a deep-seated trust from both superiors and subordinates.
Yet, despite her rank and responsibility, Pollard’s definition of her job remains deeply personal. She sees her 25 years not through the lens of authority, but through the lens of mentorship.
“Looking back, my career feels like a continuation of what she began,” Pollard said, referring to her mother’s service. “Where she cared for patients, I cared for Airmen — mentoring, guiding and supporting them through stress, leadership challenges and major life transitions.”
When the uniform comes off, the mission continues
For many, retirement after 25 years is a time to put your feet up. For this duo, it was just the end of one chapter and the start of another.
Pollard realized that while her setting had changed, her desire to help people hadn’t. She took all that command chief experience — the mentoring, the leadership development, the supporting of people through high-stress environments — and founded Kimberly Jarena LLC.
Through an initiative called Healthy Clarity, Pollard now supports individuals navigating the civilian equivalents with how she helped Airmen: through burnout, life transitions, and rebuilding confidence and direction, helping them find their path again.
But she didn’t stop at entrepreneurship. Pollard continues her public service as a commissioner with the Fairfax County Commission for Women, where she advocates for and assists women and families. She also remains deeply involved in supporting her fellow veterans.
Two paths, one heart
Meanwhile, Scott, now retired from federal service, hasn’t stopped, either. She serves with her church’s nursing ministry, volunteers with elderly residents in nursing homes, and is the matriarch her extended family depends on.
“Our paths are different but connected,” Pollard explained. “The uniform came off, but the service continued. [My mom’s] service is hands-on and focused on physical care; mine is guidance-based and focused on emotional and community wellbeing. Different settings, but the same purpose — helping people feel supported and able to move forward.”
This Women’s History Month, we see Scott and Pollard are not just as veterans in the past tense, but as forces of nature in the present — and moving forward. With Pollard now supporting her own son’s education, the ripple effect of service and opportunity represents a multi-generational commitment to lifting others up.
“In our family,” Pollard added, “service means helping others while also opening doors for the next generation.”