No Doors are Closed

WSU graduate makes history in the Utah Army National Guard

The first female to be promoted to brigadier general in the Utah Army National Guard is a Weber State University alum.

Charlene C. Dalto is the land component commander for the Utah Army National Guard headquartered at Draper, Utah. She provides strategic leadership for six major subordinate commands, made up of about 4,400 soldiers.

Dalto, who graduated with a Bachelor of Science in nursing in 1992, said she was inspired to go into the military by her older sister, who also served.

“I was always looking for ways to improve myself, to become a better soldier, to get outside my comfort zone,” she said.

Dalto served her first 20 years as an enlisted soldier, achieving the second-highest rank, serving as a master sergeant, and then took a direct commission into the U.S. Army Nurse Corps as a first lieutenant, serving 18 years as an officer before going on to command the Utah Army National Guard’s Medical Detachment. Then, in 2021, she was promoted to brigadier general.

Dalto said it can be hard to be in the limelight, but young women need role models. “It’s important to show them when starting their military career there’s no door that’s closed to them, and it’s okay to celebrate women’s accomplishments,” she said.

Dalto’s awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal and Army Achievement Medal. She also deployed to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in support of Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm in 1990.