Petaluma woman among 1st to enlist for Army job previously closed to women

Today, 18-year-old Yesenia Gutierrez will be on her way to basic training in Fort Sill, Oklahoma - one of about 130 women in the United States who have enlisted for 14 Army combat specialties that, until this year, were closed to women.

The positions opened after a December 2015 directive from Defense Secretary Ashton Carter opening all combat roles to women.

The Petaluma teen is sweet and smart, with an easy laugh, long dark hair and bright eyes. Her favorite subject is math, and she loved the criminal law class she took at Santa Rosa Junior College after graduating a semester early from Carpe Diem High School.

Yesenia never set out to be part of history when she signed on for four years of active duty with the Army in May; it just happened that way.

She’s the owner of a beloved miniature horse named Peluche - “fluffy” in Spanish - she’s had since fifth grade. Her friends call her “princess.”

After her older brother joined the Marine Corps in 2014, she started thinking about the Army.

In May, she enlisted and took the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test used to predict future success in the military. The more her recruiter told her about being a fire support specialist, the more she liked it. Turns out, until April 1, only men were allowed to have that job.

The Pentagon’s decision means women can drive tanks, fire mortars and lead infantry into combat. They’ll be able to serve as Army Rangers, Green Berets, Navy SEALs, United States Marine Corps infantry and Air Force parajumpers.

“I at first didn’t realize it was just open to women in April,” she said. “I’m not one of those people that likes being trapped inside. I like being outdoors, working with a team, working with other people.”

Yesenia grew up on her family’s ranch in Petaluma with her brothers Hector, 19, and Jesus, 16, and sister Andrea, 5. Her dad, Hector Gutierrez Sr., 41, owns a western wear shop in Cotati and her mother, Maria Gutierrez, 42, is self-employed.

They’re proud of her, she said, but a little sad, too. ?“(My mom) is seeing it as she’s losing her second child,” Yesenia said.

“So, she’s sad but she supports me. My friends are shocked. Some are actually betting against me - that I’m not going to make it, but I’m going to prove them wrong. My best friend, she supports me ?100 percent, and she’s proud of me.

“It’s an honor because it’s pretty much paving the way for women. We can do everything.”

When she heads to boot camp, she will be one of ?15 women from California enlisted for the newly opened jobs.

Fifty-one percent of the American populace are women, yet only 17 percent of Army recruits are, said Capt. Jeanette Chavez, Commander of the U.S. Army North Bay Recruiting Company.

Opening the door to these final 14 Army jobs will “allow for a more prepared force,” Chavez said.

In her chosen path as a fire support specialist, Yesenia will, among other duties, operate laser range finders and target devices, encode and decode messages, and determine target locations using computers or manual calculations.

“They are the ones that ... call in airstrikes, from the Air Force, from the Army, to destroy the enemy,” said Sgt. 1st Class Qiwan Liang, Yesenia’s recruiter. “Even if it’s at night, they can identify the vehicle shape, based off its thermal image, (and determine) if it’s friendly or not.”

The role of women in combat roles has been blurred in recent years. While they’ve been serving in combat, it’s been in an unofficial capacity, Chavez said.

“The reality of warfare today is there really isn’t a front line anymore,” she said. “So, it’s not really any different than what’s already been happening, it’s just now that’s officially sanctioned.”

Yesenia will be in boot camp for nine weeks before going to advanced individual training.

“It’s just an honor to start paving the way for everybody else,” she said.

You can reach Staff Writer Christi Warren at 521-5205 or christi.warren@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @SeaWarren.