Admiral Michelle Howard
Admiral Howard was the first woman to achieve the rank of four-star admiral and the first woman to be appointed to the position of vice chief of naval operations (the second-highest rank in the Navy). During her illustrious career, Admiral Howard became the first African-American woman to command a U.S. ship – the USS Rushmore. She came into the limelight in 2009 when she led the counter-piracy task force that rescued civilian Captain Richard Phillips from Somali pirates.
