Anna Der-Vartanian

Anna Der-Vartanian
Anna Der-Vartanian
	USAF (right).
Born	December 6, 1920
Died	August 4, 2011 (aged 90)
Buried	Arlington National Cemetery
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1943–1963
Rate	Master chief petty officer

Anna Der-Vartanian (December 6, 1920 – August 4, 2011) was the first woman promoted to

Master Chief Petty Officer (E-9), the highest enlisted rate in the United States Navy

.

In 1959, while serving as assistant to the Global Strategy Officer at the

U.S. Armed Forces to be promoted to the paygrade of E-9.^[1]

Retired Master Chief Petty Officer Anna Der-Vartanian died August 4, 2011, at the age of 90 and was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery.

Early life

Anna Der-Vartanian was born December 6, 1920. She was of

Detroit Business University from 1941 to 1942. Shortly after the outbreak of World War II, at the time of Anna Der-Vartanian's enlistment, her sister, Jeanne Oliver, was serving in the U.S. Navy while her brother, Andrew, served in the U.S. Army in the Pacific theater of war. Der-Vartanian's mother wanted to join the Navy, but opted to stay home and serve the American Red Cross

.

Navy career

After attending Detroit Business University, Der-Vartanian enlisted in the Army Women's Auxiliary Air Corps (WAAC), later called the

Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service

(WAVES).

After

Great Lakes, Illinois. She then served, from 1943 to 1946, at the Bureau of Naval Personnel in Washington, DC. Amongst new enlistees processed through her office were celebrities such as Robert Taylor, Gene Markey, and Eddie Albert

.

Her next assignment was

Vice Admiral

Matthias B. Gardner.

Between March 1952 - December 1953, Chief Der-Vartanian was assigned to the

James Michener, Margaret Bourke-White, and John Wayne. In 1953, President Harry S. Truman

passed through PIO Pearl Harbor and autographed a picture of himself for her, signing the photo with the inscription: "Glad to sign it. HST."

YNC Der-Vartanian's next assignment, from July 1954 - June 1956, was in the Personnel Office of the

NAS Lakehurst

in New Jersey. In 1957, she was promoted to the rate of E-8, Senior Chief Yeoman (YNCS), and transferred to the Public Information Office in Boston, Massachusetts.

In July 1959, she was detailed to the Global Strategy Office of the

E-9

in the history of the United States Armed Forces.

Following that promotion, she was transferred as the first female Chief Clerk in the Office of United States National Military Representative, SHAPE, in Paris, France. Her duties included coordination of administrative procedures for military personnel from the United States and the fourteen NATO nations within that command. She served in Paris until 1962, meeting President John F. Kennedy. She received a strong endorsement for the Navy's Limited Duty Officer Program, and, upon her departure from the command, a letter of commendation for her superior performance as the Chief Clerk.

Her final assignment was at the Legal Office, Naval Station Washington D.C.^[specify].

YNCM Der-Vartanian retired from the U.S. Navy on July 16, 1963.^[2]

Later life

Anna Der-Vartanian joined the

Algiers, Algeria

. Though retired from the CIA in 1991, she remained a contractor there until May 2007.

She gave speeches and attended numerous military events, was a member of the WAVES National, Women of the Sea Service, registered at the Women in Military Service for America (WIMSA) as charter member 23774, and participated in yoga for seniors. She resided in McLean, Virginia until the time of her death. She periodically visited family in Michigan and Louisiana; she also sailed the Chesapeake Bay and the Virgin Islands with her niece.

She is buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Section 60, Site 9833.

Awards and decorations

U.S. Military Decorations
	Navy Good Conduct Medal (with 4 service stars)
	American Campaign Medal
	World War II Victory Medal
	National Defense Service Medal

References

^ Daniel, Amber. "Navy's First Female Master Chief Petty Officer Laid to Rest at Arlington". NAVY.mil. Retrieved 4 December 2011.
^ Fifty years ago, female veteran made a splash in Navy

[1] Daniel, Amber. "Navy's First Female Master Chief Petty Officer Laid to Rest at Arlington". NAVY.mil. Retrieved 4 December 2011.

[2] Fifty years ago, female veteran made a splash in Navy

[1]

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