ASHLAND, Neb. (Tribune News Service) — Forty years ago, a strong-willed and witty woman joined the Nebraska National Guard as an 18-year-old. She wasn’t afraid of anyone, and she wasn’t going to be pushed around, especially when it came to cutting her long hair.

On Friday, Chief Warrant Officer 5 Teresa Domeier — known better to some as Mother Teresa, Brownie Lady, Coordinator, Rule-Maker, Mama T and Chief Chow — celebrated her retirement from the National Guard during a ceremony at Camp Ashland.

She retired May 31 from her appointment, which began in 2018, as the seventh command chief warrant officer of the Army National Guard. She was the first woman to hold the title, which is the highest rank a warrant officer can achieve.

Family and friends from across the country came to celebrate Domeier and her success in the National Guard. Her younger sister, Bonnie Frazier, said guests came from as far as Arizona and New Mexico, to North Carolina and Washington, D.C.

“I thought that she was represented well by so many people,” Frazier said. “I was glad that the turnout was so big.”

Domeier’s seventh grade English teacher, Ross Dirks, said her leadership showed even in middle school.

“She always worked hard and she would help other kids to decide to work hard too,” Dirks said.

Other students looked up to her for her confidence and ability to take charge, he said. She even came back in high school to assist his classes. Dirks taught most of her siblings and could see her older brother’s personality in her.

“She was not afraid of anything or anybody,” Dirks said. “That’s why I’m sure she got along so well with the officers because she knew when to back off, but she could also take charge.”

Domeier, who grew up in Ceresco, is the seventh child of 10 Hunt siblings with four older brothers to keep her in line.

“What do you expect me to be? I’m gonna be a tomboy because I gotta be tough around my brothers,” Domeier said. “We always had fun. We may have fought between us, but if someone came after us, we always defended each other.”

Two of her brothers and her two younger sisters also joined the military. Domeier is the last one to retire and has spent the longest amount of time in the military.

Her experience began shortly after high school when Domeier tagged along with a girlfriend to meet a Marine recruiter. She quickly dismissed the recruiter when he told her, “We treat women special in the Marines.” The Army recruiter didn’t convince her to enlist either. Eventually, Domeier met with the National Guard recruiter and found her second family.

“I liked her because she told me the truth,” Domeier said. “She told me exactly what was going to happen when I went to basic training. She told me that they’re going to make you cut your hair.”

At the age of 18, Domeier boarded a plane for the first time and shipped out to Fort Jackson in South Carolina for basic training. There were four platoons and 225 girls in her company — all who were instructed to cut their hair.

“Out of the 225, there was close to 50 of us that wouldn’t cut our hair,” Domeier said. “They lined us up at the reception station and we had three drill sergeants coming up to each one screaming in our faces.”

At the time, Domeier’s hair reached her lower back. A drill sergeant demanded to know why Domeier refused to cut her hair. “Because I don’t want to look like a guy,” Domeier responded. The drill sergeant, who had short hair herself, fired back, “Do you think I look like a man?” Domeier stood her ground and answered that it looked better on some than others.

“She had to walk away because she was ready to laugh,” Domeier said. “I could see her bite her lip and I’m thinking, ‘I got her.’”

So Domeier and a handful of other girls got to keep their hair. A couple months ago, Domeier cut her hair to shoulder-length for the first time in her life and donated the hair to Locks of Love.

The hair-cutting was the first of many times Domeier would stand her ground. She said a lot of the women were intimidated by the drill sergeants, but according to Domeier, they didn’t have anything on her strict dad back home.

“My dad could scare people,” Domeier said. “These drill sergeants didn’t scare me. They scared a lot of girls and a lot of them were crying.”

Out of the 225 girls, only 144 of them graduated. During basic training she was promoted to remedial trainer and then to squad leader.

Domeier’s career began in the Nebraska National Guard in 1983 as an administrative specialist with the 67th Brigade. A year later, she transferred to State Area Command Headquarters where she served as a food service technician and an assistant to the state food service adviser.

She always had a love for food — hence her nicknames Brownie Lady and Chief Chow. She was also known for sharing baked goods on the bases. Maj. Gen. Daryl Bohac said during the ceremony she always found a way to take care of those around her.

In September 1986, Domeier married the love of her life, Dave. The two had met at a bar at the Gold’s Building, shortly after she had broken up with an ex-boyfriend and sworn off men. After two weeks, she knew she would marry him.

Dave Domeier worked for the Lincoln Police Department for 31 years before retiring in 2017 and stayed in Nebraska while Domeier continued to travel across the country for her job. The two never had children, but have 37 nieces and nephews.

Domeier didn’t enjoy every aspect of her job, especially the time she spent at Fort Rucker — now renamed as Fort Novosel — to complete Warrant Officer Candidate School. She described Fort Rucker as basic training times 10.

“The guy that was the commander hated women, just absolutely hated women,” Domeier said. “There was nothing I liked about Fort Rucker. I was so happy when I graduated and drove home.”

During her time, the commander had gotten into Domier’s face and told her, “I’m gonna make you quit. You’re not going to be a warrant officer.”

Once again, Domeier was determined to prove him wrong. On June 6, 1995, she was appointed as a warrant officer 1.

When Domeier applied for the command chief warrant officer job, she wasn’t the only woman applicant, but she was the only woman among six finalists.

“I can’t even count how many meetings I was in and I was the only female,” Domeier said.

During her time in the military, one nickname she heard tossed around was Barbie, yet she knew that because of her brothers she could probably punch better than a lot of the men.

After becoming the first woman to be appointed command chief warrant officer of the Army National Guard, fellow women soldiers told her she was an inspiration. To Domeier, she was just doing her job.

Domeier said it was hard to serve away from home, especially during the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“There were times I just wanted to just quit and come home and that’s just not me,” Domeier said.

Each time Domeier was home in Nebraska, she’d prepare and freeze meals to last her husband for the next month.

Now as a fellow retiree, Domeier plans to spend her time baking with nieces, golfing, biking and fishing — at least for a year. If she gets bored in retirement, she said she’ll likely be found volunteering somewhere with animals.

“I don’t regret doing anything, I’m glad I had the opportunity to serve,” Domeier said. “I think I’ve made an impression on all the people that I could take care of, but it’s time for me to have fun and enjoy retirement with my husband.”

ajohnson2@journalstar.com

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