Spartan Profiles: Dawnlee Deyoung

ARMY RESERVE COMMANDER

            For the first time, a woman officer has taken charge of the Parks Reserve Forces Training Area, in Dublin, CA—the only training installation within 200 miles of the San Francisco Bay. Lt. Col. DawnLee DeYoung, ’83, former deputy chief of the Pacific Team, U.S. Transportation Command, Joint Intelligence Center, now commands a base that trains all services—army, navy, air force, marines and coast guard, including 10,000 army reservists. “I love it,” says DeYoung. “This is the best job in the army. I work with military and civilians and have an opportunity to be involved with units being trained that affect our national military strategy.”

            Parks RFTA has trained units that were later deployed to Kuwait, Bosnia and Kosovo. With the reserve component—both the National Guard and the Army Reserves—comprising 54 percent of the army, one can’t overlook its importance in national defense.

            A native of Michigan who grew up in Harrisville, DeYoung used to show horses every year at MSU and “just fell in love with the school, so it was the only place I applied to for college.” At MSU, she was involved in ROTC and Delta Delta Delta sorority, and took every class taught by history professor Peter Levine, “a great mentor for me.”

            After MSU, DeYoung went into active duty at Ft. Bliss, TX, and after three years in Germany was selected to work in military intelligence. From 1987-91, she was stationed at the Tank Automotive Command in Warren. “That was great being back in Michigan,” she recalls. “I was able to come up to MSU for football games.”

            In 1991 she left active duty to finish a law degree at the University of Detroit and graduated cum laude. But she returned to active duty in 1995 and hasn’t looked back. With Americans very aware of and thankful for the national defense these days, DeYoung has clearly made the right move