The Colonel Speaks Out on Life After Retirement

In the latest installment of my Life After Retirement series, I have the pleasure of talking with Retired Colonel Jill Morgenthaler, a woman of many firsts. She was one of the first women to enter ROTC and to train as an equal with men.  She was the first female company commander in the Army Security Agency Group Korea; she was the first woman battalion commander in the 88th Regional Support Command; and she was the first woman brigade commander in the 84th Division, commanding hundreds of Soldiers across six states.  In Illinois, she was the first woman to lead homeland security.

Col. Morgenthaler worked extensively in command centers in Korea, Berlin, Bosnia, and Iraq; handled disaster recovery during the San Francisco earthquake of 1989 and evacuation operations for Kosovar refugees.  She led the entire strategic communications and public affairs for the commanding general in Iraq in 2004.  The Army has awarded her the Legion of Merit and the Bronze Star.

As the Governor’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Public Safety and Homeland Security Advisor, Colonel Jill Morgenthaler was responsible for directing Illinois homeland security operations for the state.  She provided guidance to Illinois Emergency Management Agency, Illinois Terrorism Task Force, Illinois National Guard, and other agencies to ensure that all levels of government work together for the prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery from natural disasters or terrorist incidents.

Overcoming many obstacles in her career, Jill Morgenthaler assists women in not only surviving but also thriving as leaders.

CWF: Wow! That’s hard to top. Thank you for joining us, Jill! I remember reading an article in the 1980’s predicting that baby boomers should expect to have an average of 5 careers in our professional lives. I think I may have managed to far surpass their estimate, but none of my many has been as interesting as your few. Would you begin by giving our readers your short bio?

JILL:  Sure. My story starts when I joined Army ROTC in college.  Until then, men and women trained separately.  My class of 1972 was an experiment to see if women and men could train together and as equals.  It was a success.  I stayed on active duty for 5 years, serving in military intelligence in Korea, Germany and West Berlin -  exciting Cold War years.  I left active duty and went into the Reserves.  I have worked as an International Trade Specialist for the US Department of Commerce,  as a Trade Show and Event Coordinator for a Silicon Valley software company, as an Associate Director for the Center for Nanoscale Materials at Argonne National Laboratory and Emergency Response Manager, as Deputy Chief of Staff for Public Safety and Homeland Security for the state of Illinois, and now as President and sole employee of CJMI, a homeland consulting firm.

CWF: Let’s start at the beginning. It’s quite a mark of distinction to achieve the rank of Colonel; and one that wasn’t necessarily realistic to shoot for when you joined. Why did you choose a military career?

JILL:  My father was a career Marine and after the Vietnam War he was stationed at the Pentagon conducting military intelligence operations.  He would disappear for days at a time and would not tell us why.  I found it so exciting.

CWF: What was your most singular accomplishment there?

JILL:  In July 2004, Saddam Hussein was being brought before a judge for a hearing about his crimes against humanity. I was responsible for escorting the media into the courtroom. I took in Peter Jennings, Christiane Amanpour, Arab media, and others. Afterwards, I waited in the hallway. Saddam Hussein arrived in handcuffs. He shuffled in, kept his eyes to the ground, and cowered. I looked at him and thought that he expected to see the judge, hear his sentence, and be executed immediately. Hmmm… As I waited outside in the hallway, I heard him yell and holler. The door swung open, and he stood in the doorway yelling at the judge, making threats about what he would do to him when he returns to power. He then turned around and saw me. He stopped in his tracks and stared at me. He looked me up and down, like I was a bimbo, there for his taking. I get it. I’m a blonde in Iraq, with all of the ridiculous stereotypes many in that culture attach to that. But still – no one looks at me that way. I stood up proudly and stared back at him. Using all the nonverbal skills I had, I thought, “Yeah, you are evil. You are also a dirty, old man. You are going back into your hole – courtesy of the United States military.” As I stared at him, he looked back at the guard and gave a nod toward me. The guard laughed and took him away. I asked another guard, “What did he say?” He told me that Saddam Hussein had told him to kill me.

Excuse me? 

I learned that Saddam Hussein used to have people killed on the spot for staring at him. Not this American!

CWF: That is an amazing story. Aside from that incident, what was the greatest challenge you faced in the course of your military career?

JILL: Being allowed to do my job. Sexual harassment was prevalent in the military, but what shocked me was when some commanders not only permitted harassment but by their actions endorsed it.  I realized that a true leader embraces the strengths of all their people.  Leadership is about being inclusive, not exclusive.  Real leaders do not have cliques.  These men were not real leaders.

CWF: How would you summarize what you gave to the military, and what it gave to you?

JILL:  I was blessed overall to work with many people who were real leaders. They wanted me to succeed and they gave me the opportunities that allowed me to do so. The military taught me true leaderships skills such as ask nothing of your people that you wouldn’t do. Give opportunities, acknowledgements, and rewards for well done jobs. We have a wonderful saying in the Army, “Mission first, soldiers always.” I try to live that in any job I do. As a leader, one must stay focus on the goal but never forget to treat your staff with respect.

CWF: Why did you retire?

JILL: I served 30 years so retirement was mandatory.

CWF:  What do you miss the most about it?

JILL:  How vital the missions are. During war, we were saving lives and changing lives so we didn’t let bureaucracies and petty differences get in the way. Mission first, soldiers always is the way we lived. I find in the civilian world, too often people let bureaucratic rules and methods stop progress. People who find “No” is easy to say to others, accomplish nothing themselves.

CWF: We often think of retirement as a restful time in bucolic surroundings. Your retirement has been anything but that! You served as Deputy Chief of Public Safety for the State of Illinois. What drew you to that position?

JILL:  I loved protecting Illinois. It was great to make Americans safe at home. 9-11 really brought home to me that we need plans and protection.

CWF: I’m sure the issues you faced were both serious and daunting. Can you share a story or two with readers?

JILL: The flooding of the Des Plaines resulted in my home flooding along with many communities. So, I had to step away from my home to serve the people. Fortunately, my husband picked up the brunt of the mission.

CWF: Did CJMI grow out of that position?

JILL: Absolutely. Natural disasters are inevitable, but most families and businesses are not prepared. Shockingly, 70% of small businesses will not recover from a disaster that closes their doors for more than 96 hours. I help businesses, churches, schools have plans in place to save people and property, to return to “business as usual” as soon as possible.

CWF:  That’s a fabulous mission. Another thing that intrigues me, and seems to have a connection with the military is GI Jill Bootcamp. What is that all about?

JILL:  I have led a very dangerous life. To counter that I have trained in many programs to defend myself. I created GI Jill Bootcamp to show children and men and women of all ages what to look for, how to avoid trouble, and in a worse case scenario, how to get out of trouble. One program that I have taught American Red Cross and IDOT workers is “Be Prepared – Not Scared.” Criminals pre-select their victims. As they do so, they give clear warning signs. I show how to identify the warning signs of a potential attacker, recognize danger signals your body and mind give you, and recommend strategies for dealing with the problem before it becomes life threatening.

CWF:  That sounds like something everyone can benefit from. We never know when an unexpected danger may appear. How would readers “enlist”?

JILL:  Please contact me through www.cjmi.us and we can look at putting together an evening or weekend program.

CWF:  You also do motivational speaking. To whom do you speak, and what do you tell audiences?

JILL:  I love to speak to young people wishing to get on the leadership track and women and men who have found themselves stalled. One presentation that has been highly successful is:  Winning at Work – 21 Strategies to Succeed and Lead in the Workplace. Some women roar ahead in their careers while others stagnate. Some advance their careers and some unknowingly sabotage their careers. I can show you 21 ways to move forward, while eliminating unconscious mistakes that could be holding you back. You can easily incorporate these invaluable coaching tips into your social and business skills. If you recognize and change certain behaviors, the results will pay off in career opportunities you never thought possible—and in an image that identifies you as someone with the power and knowledge to lead and succeed.

The objective of the presentation is to provide strong content so that everyone walks away with actual techniques that will enhance their careers and business and ensure they are no longer overlooked in the workplace, at the conference table, or in the boardroom.

CWF:  What is the most rewarding aspect of your speaking career?

JILL:  I believe the meaning of life is to make someone else’s life better. Through motivational speaking, I have helped men and women take an easier step toward advancing their career.

CWF:  What is the most difficult thing you have to deal with?

JILL:  Like most women, time management. I am a wife, mom, speaker, advisor, etc. I need to make “Me time” a bigger priority.

CWF: Are the rumors of a planned book true? If so, what do you plan to write about?

JILL:  Yes. I have had a really adventuresome life, from saving the Western World from Communism (no kidding!) to the showdown I described with Saddam Hussein. I want to write a book that captures the adventures and also gives the readers strategies to lead and succeed.

CWF: I would certainly buy that book! Jill, I’ve enjoyed our conversation immensely. Thank you for sharing your story with us. I expect to continue to see great things when I google your name.

JILL:  My true pleasure.