CAMP WILLIAMS, Utah — In a ceremony Saturday, Col. Charlene Dalto made history by being promoted to Brigadier General and assuming the role of commander of the Utah Army National Guard Land Component Command.
Dalto is the first female to be promoted to brigadier general in the Utah army National Guard.
In the Ceremony saturday, Utah Governor Spencer Cox offered his congratulations to Dalto.
"Of course we do not promote officers based on their performance alone and Colonel Dalto has undoubtedly had an outstanding career," Cox said in a speech at the ceremony. "She is being promoted today due to her demonstrated potential to continue the Utah Army National Guards tradition of excellence."
Today Col. Charlene Dalto became the first female to be promoted to a brigadier general in the @UTNationalGuard.
— Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox (@GovCox) May 1, 2021
When the state of Utah needed her help with our vaccination efforts, Col. Dalto answered the call.
Congratulations, and thank you for your service! pic.twitter.com/ykIuwHQuSI
Dalto is a Farmington resident and has commanded the Utah Army National Guard’s Medical Detachment since February 2018. She served her first 20 years in the military as an enlisted Soldier, achieving the second-highest rank serving as a master sergeant. She then served for 18 years as a first liutenant for the U.S. Army Nurse Corps. She deployed to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in support of Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm in 1990.
Dalto has been awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal and Army Achievement Medal.
“I am both honored and grateful to Maj. Gen. Michael Turley and Gov. Spencer Cox for the opportunity to serve as the Land Component commander,” said Dalto in a press release. "Throughout my military career, I have been privileged to know many great Soldiers and be mentored by outstanding leaders. I pledge to continue that tradition for the Soldiers under my command. Together we will dedicate ourselves to the great tradition of the Utah Army National Guard for excellence in serving the citizens of Utah and our great nation.”
The occasion also marked the retirement of the current commander for the Utah Army National Guard Land Component Command. Brig. Gen. Thomas C. Fisher has served in the role since November of 2016. He served over 31 years as a career-traditional Guard member and received the Legion of Merit and multiple Meritorious Service Medals and deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.
“I have achieved more than I could have ever imagined and could have ever expected. I've achieved this not because of my own merits, but because of the great effort and support that I have received from the Soldiers and Airmen of the Utah National Guard, my civilian employers, my family and especially my wife," Fisher remarked in a press release. "For 31 years, I have watched and participated in the growth of this wonderful organization as it has defended our nation and supported our state. I look forward to witnessing where the next generations of great Utah leaders improve what is in place and what has already been achieved. They are always ready and always there,” he said.
