NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — History is being made on the Peninsula.
“Apparently, you don’t wake up every morning planning to make history,” said U.S. Army Col. Tayna McGonegal.
Though Friday morning, she did. She became the first Black woman commander of the U.S. Northern Command's Joint Task Force Civil Support (JTF-CS) based in Fort Eustis. She will also become the 13th commander of the unit.
“I’m honored," she said. "I’m humbled. I know the leadership has a lot of outstanding colonels to select and they chose me and I’m happy to be here.”
JTF-CS responds to disasters across North America. The unit comprises of Active Duty, Reserve, National Guard, and civilian members from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines. On directive, JTF-CS mobilizes within 24 hours of notification, providing mission command to Department of Defense forces. Their mission is to support civil authorities, save lives, mitigate human suffering, and prevent further injury.
“Can be things like hurricanes, possibly tornadoes," she said. "We were supporting COVID-19 during that time period.”
Colonel McGonegal calls this a humbling experience. She said this would be her fourth time serving as a commander but it’s not her first time making history.
“I was the first African American female to command the 229th Military Police Company in Virginia Beach, the first African American female to be battalion commander for the 151st Military Police Battalion,” she said.
Following this milestone, she held joint assignments with the Office of the Secretary of Defense and later served as a Brigade Commander to the 77th Brigade Troop Command.
Graduating from Virginia State Officer Candidate School as the sole female among 15 candidates in 1999, she later served nearly a decade in the Army National Guard military police, contributing to missions such as Operation Noble Eagle (2001), Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003), and Hurricane Katrina relief efforts (2005).
Now, she’s looking ahead, ready to get to work and hopeful her story will inspire others.
“We welcome them," she said. "We are certainly recruiting and hoping to gain some new candidates but serving has been a great position for me to be in and I’ve loved every minute of it.”