Susan Pangelinan is a Chamorro-American member of the United States Air Force who oversaw California's response to the 2008 wildfires. She was awarded the STEM Role Model Award by the Department of Defense in 2009, and ''Business Insider'' called her one of the Most Impressive Women in the U.S. Military in 2013.

Early life and education

Pangelinan was born in 1961 on Andersen Air Force Base in Guam to her father, Artemio Pangelinan, a retired Air Force serviceman, and her mother, Chilang Pangelinan.

Military career

Pangelinan is a veteran of

Operation Desert Storm Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

, and was assigned to

the Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense, in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. The building was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As ...

following the

September 11th attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

. She also assisted with rescue operations in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. She served as Air Force

medical personnel A medic is a person trained to provide medical care, encompassing a wide range of individuals involved in the diagnosis, treatment, and management of health conditions. The term can refer to fully qualified medical practitioners, such as physic ...

before joining the

California National Guard The California National Guard (Cal Guard) is part of the National Guard (United States), National Guard of the United States, a dual federal–state military reserve force in the state of California. It has three components: the California Army ...

in 2002. She served as the National Guard's Medical Operations Officer during the 2008 California wildfires. In that position, Pangelinan oversaw the statewide response team tracking injuries, making an inventory of medical supplies and supporting military responders. In response to her work during the wildfires, the

Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and supervising the six U.S. armed services: the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Space Force, ...

honored Pangelinan with the DoD Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Role Model Award on March 20, 2009. In July 2013, Pangelinan was included on the ''Business Insider'' list of "Most Impressive Women in the U.S. Military." Lt. Col. Pangelinan served as the California National Guard's joint staff medical advisor in 2013. In 2014, she became coordinator of the Guard's behavioral health program and took an active role in transitioning veterans back into civilian life after deployment. In January 2013, Pangelinan testified to the Little Hoover Commission that behavioral health support for veterans could be funded "like unemployment insurance" or as part of military demobilization. She is an outspoken advocate for the support of veterans suffering from mental illness or emotional distress. Pangelinan serves as the co-chair of the California Interagency Council on Veterans Suicide Prevention and Intervention Group and has served as an expert witness on military mental health. On 15 April, 2015, her promotion to full colonel was confirmed by the Senate.

Personal life

Pangelinan is currently stationed in California and has two children, Tony and Lauren.

Published works

*Pangelinan, Susan and Carlos, Mark. "Teledermatology in DoD Health Services Region 10" ''Journal of Healthcare Information Management'', Vol. 13, No. 4. USA: Wiley Subscription Services, Inc, (1999): pp 57–67 *Pangelinan, Susan, et al. "Dissemination of Family-Centered Prevention for Military and Veteran Families: Adaptations and Adoption within Community and Military Systems of Care" ''Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review'', Vol. 16, No. 4 USA: Springer(2013): pp 394–409

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pangelinan, Susan Guamanian military personnel Military personnel from California Living people 1961 births Women in the United States Air Force Women in 20th-century warfare Women in 21st-century warfare Women in war in West Asia American people of Chamorro descent