Brigadier General Jackie Huber

Brigadier General Jackie Huber, who since Oct. 1, 2019, has served as the second-in-command of the North Dakota National Guard.

People have made a bit of a fuss about the fact that she is the first woman to hold the position of Deputy Adjutant General, but to Huber, it’s not what she focuses on.

“I was selected for this position as best qualified,” she said. “I had to meet all the same job requirements as anyone else: command assignments, experience, along with civilian and military education.”

“The way I look at it is, I’m a soldier and just doing the best I can with what God has given me.”

Huber, who earned her master’s degree in management from the University of Mary in 1999, was born and raised in Bismarck and graduated from St. Mary’s Central High School in 1988. She enlisted in the National Guard in January 1989 during her undergraduate study at the University of North Dakota while simultaneously enrolled in the ROTC program.

After Huber completed basic training and Advanced Individual Training (AIT), she knew she wanted to be an officer, she said.

“That’s how my path started,” she said. “The National Guard defined who I am. Being in the military is not easy but is very, very rewarding. It gives you the foundation of military values to live by, on- and off-duty.”