Military Times offers a profile on Vice Adm. Michelle Howard, who is set to become the Navy’s first female four-star:”She has confronted prejudice and resistance from her Induction Day in 1978 to her recent years as a flag officer.”

“Now, Vice Adm. Michelle Howard stands on the cusp of making history, becoming the Navy’s first female four-star when she’s officially promoted in early 2014. She will also be the first black woman to attain four-star rank.”

“Howard has steadily surmounted hurdles over three decades through drive and a sense of humility, her friends and colleagues say, helping alter perceptions about roles for women. She volunteered for tough assignments and kept a steady eye on mission accomplishment in stand-offs like the 2009 hijacking of the Maersk Alabama.”