Impossible Is Nothing: Major General Irene Trowell Harris

The third of eleven children, General Irene Trowell-Harris, was born in Aiken, South Carolina; she has fond memories of childhood, attending church, and celebrating Christmas with her family. Despite their lack of money, they would make toys and make their own fun with the resources they had. Irene Trowell-Harris’ father was a farmer, and her mother was a homemaker. She picked cotton with her family to make ends meet and sometimes missed school to work; she earned good grades and was very athletic when she was in school. Her parents had a third and sixth-grade education, but they wanted better for their children and emphasized the value of a good education. 

Trowell-Harris initially wanted to be a teacher, nurse, or secretary because those were the only careers available to women at that time. She was the president of her junior and senior classes in high school and ultimately decided to become a nurse; this decision was heavily influenced by her family physician’s nurse and her mother’s desire to be a nurse. An honors student throughout her nursing studies, she went from civilian nursing to become the first African American female General in the National Guard.

As a teen picking cotton, Trowell-Harris remembers telling her siblings that she would work, teach, and fly on airplanes one day whenever they saw an airplane overhead. They laughed at her because that seemed impossible, as this was in the South during segregation during the Jim Crow Era in the mid-1950s. Ten years later, Trowell-Harris earned her wings in San Antonio, Texas.

She knew that the family didn’t have the money for her to afford tuition for nursing school; however, after speaking with her church, a collection plate was passed around to raise the $60.50 she needed for her first-year enrollment, but she remembers that there were no dollars in the collection plate, only coins. 

Eventually, she attended Columbia Nursing School in South Carolina from 1956-1959 and was an honors student. She had her first job in nursing, earning $300.00 a month in Augusta, Georgia, and felt as though she was making the big bucks—ready to take on the world! At 20 years old, she began working at night and attending classes during the day. 

After moving to New York, she worked as a head nurse and trained in various areas of her field, including psychiatric nursing. She then joined the military flying unit at the Air National Guard and then went to flight nursing school, learning about aerospace nursing.

Upon graduating from Brooks AFB in San Antonio, Texas, she returned to New York and worked at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, where she flew worldwide to care for patients. She continued her education part-time, earning her bachelor’s and master’s degrees and eventually her doctorate. She gained her master’s degree at Yale University in 1973 and her doctorate at Columbia University in New York in 1981.

The C-9 Hospital Jet was one of her favorite aircraft because of the comfort levels and advanced features at the time. She flew 11 aircraft types requiring special training to operate as a nurse.

She became an Air National Guard chief nurse, an associate director, a nurse instructor, and the very first woman and African American woman hospital commander at the 105th Air National Guard Base, as well as a staff nurse. She developed a national health policy for the American Nursing Association, Lt Col. Air National Guard. Dr. Trowell-Harris is a two-time author, and these are only a few roles held by this two-star General.

Major General Trowell-Harris was once told that no matter how hard she worked, she would never receive a rank above Major. She thanked them and said that she would work as hard as possible to do the best job possible while only wanting to be excellent in her work and improve the system. She mentored youth, worked on policy, worked with other military branches, and eventually became a 1-Star general in 1998. 

Five years later, at Bolling Air Force Base, she was selected as the Air National Guard’s assistant to its director in 2001. She also worked with the Veterans Affairs Inspector General’s Office. In February 1993, she retired from the U.S. Air Force but stayed on with the Air National Guard.

While helping veterans, assisting elderly veterans, and addressing gender-specific care issues, her outreach to women veterans and creating opportunities for youth have been some of her major focal points. She worked to educate and advocate for the benefits for women and other veterans who previously thought that they were not eligible for benefits because they had not served in combat.

It is important to the General for the U.S. military to understand that women have served and deserve to be treated with dignity and treated equally. Major Gen. Trowell-Harris was the Air Force representative to the Committee on Women at the NATO Forces Conference held in Istanbul, Turkey. A recipient of the Air Force Distinguished Service and Legion of Merit awards, Dr. Trowell-Harris was the first African-American female in the history of the National Guard to be promoted to General Officer. In addition, she is the recipient of the Dr. James D. Weaver Society Award, named for the distinguished Pennsylvania Congressman and Air National Guard Flight Surgeon. She was inducted into the Columbia University Nursing Hall of Fame and the Yale University School of Medicine Honor Roll for her dedication to public service. 

Dr. Trowell-Harris was honored as one of the “21 Leaders of the 21st Century” by Women’s eNews. She is an alumna of Yale University and Columbia University and received the Eagle Award from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University for her contributions to aviation. 

Her final assignment before leaving active duty was as an assistant to the director of the Air National Guard for human resources readiness. While on active duty, she created a worldwide survey of the unmet health needs of women in the military, ultimately resulting in a 20% increase in their access to health care. She was a military representative to the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS). In 1993, Maj. Gen. Trowell-Harris left active duty and chose to come work for the Veterans Administration instead of taking a high-paying job working for a defense contractor. She retired from the Air National Guard in 2001. That chance arrived as director of patient care inspections and program evaluation with the VA’s Office of the Inspector General.

Maj. General Trowell-Harris is the first female to have a Tuskegee Airman chapter named after her: Major General Irene Trowell-Harris Chapter of Tuskegee Airmen Inc. Gen.

Trowell-Harris (ret.) currently mentors and lobbies for women in legislation, education, labor, and military affairs. She enjoys the theater, and racket ball, squash, and tennis are among her many hobbies. It is hard to believe that she is over 80 years old, but she is still in great shape despite her years of hard work and is still going strong. She is a kind and gentle soul, and if asked about her barrier-breaking career today, she remains more interested in caring for others in any way possible. I have had considerable conversations with her and was fortunate enough to once sit at her table. Her story is one for the ages! She is a powerhouse and yet so modest and humble. It is an honor to know her, and I am thankful for her service!

Click here to donate to the Major General Irene Trowell-Harris Chapter of Tuskegee Airmen Inc.