#VeteranOfTheDay Army Veteran Lauran Glover

During Women’s History Month, today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Army Veteran Lauran Glover, the first woman to lead the U.S. Army Drill Team.

Lauran Glover was born in Westerville, Ohio, and raised in Columbus. She attended the University of Findlay where she earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology. While attending college, she considered joining the military. Her parents instilled a culture of service. Her mother served in the Air Force for 28 years, and her father was a firefighter.

After graduating in 2011, Glover enlisted in the Army and traveled to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, to complete basic training. She commissioned through officer candidate school and then went to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, for military police training.

In the fall of 2012, Glover went to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to work in the detention facility. Glover accepted the challenge of working with detainees who were awaiting trial for crimes against the U.S. by treating them with dignity and respect. She made an effort to learn about their backgrounds and motivated her soldiers in order to keep them in the proper headspace.

After finishing her service at Guantanamo Bay in October 2013, Glover sought a new challenge and experience. She reached out to her branch manager and joined the Old Guard in Fort Myer, Virginia. Glover was the platoon leader of the 289th Military Police Company of the Old Guard. Glover led soldiers in their dual purpose of serving in ceremonies and protecting high level officials during ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery.

Following her year with the Military Police Company, Glover joined the U.S. Army Drill Team. She became the first woman to lead the Drill Team.

Despite facing several detractors who doubted her ability as a woman in a traditional male role, Glover led her platoon by her central mission of teamwork, while keeping in mind the platoon’s “pursuit of perfection” motto. She proved herself as a successful drill commander, commanding her platoon at a Cleveland Cavaliers football game and a Columbus Crew soccer game, the first time a drill team performed with a major soccer league team.

Glover ended her military career in 2016 as a captain of the Drill Team. She then started a clinical psychology doctoral program at the American School of Professional Psychology and later transferred to the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Her goal is to work as a psychologist for military personnel.

Thank you for your service!

Nominate a Veteran for #VeteranOfTheDay

Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you? VA’s #VeteranOfTheDay social media feature is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service.

It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. Visit our blog post about nominating to learn how to create the best submission.

Contributors

Writer: Erica MacSweeney

Editor: Cassidy Reid, Julia Pack

Fact checker: Vivian Hurney, Alexandria Davenport

Graphic artist: Katie Rahill