For Master Sgt. James Reynolds, an operations training noncommissioned officer for the 412th Engineer Command, 1st Lt. Dawn Harrison is one of the best soldiers he’s seen in his 23 years with the military. That’s what made her the obvious choice to lead the 412th’s company command, a position to which she was assigned earlier this month. Although she’s the first woman in the command’s history to take the post, being a woman had nothing to do with why she was chosen, Reynolds said.

“She’s an outstanding soldier. It had nothing to do with gender and nothing to do with race. It has to do with soldiers,” he said.

Still, the 27-year-old Vicksburg native said she welcomes the challenge to step in as the first woman to command the company.

“I’ve made history here at the 412th. I hope it gives other young females security and paves the way,” Harrison said.

But, for now, she is focusing on the duties she faces as a company commander.

“I’m trying to wrap my arms around the responsibility,” she said. “It’s a huge responsibility. I am responsible for hundreds — if not thousands — of soldiers and billions of dollars in equipment.”

The position, which she will fill for about two years, requires her to train — both physically and mentally — soldiers in the unit. The 412th has a history of deployments, with several missions to the Middle East. As the name implies, its mission is engineering support for combat missions as well as civilian reconstruction.

“I expect her to supervise and monitor all of the headquarter’s functions and make sure the soldiers are trained,” Reynolds said.

Harrison said it is her first priority to care for the soldiers.

“I’m basically responsible for their well-being,” she said. “I have to make sure they’re getting the training they need to be successful soldiers.”

Although a career in the military wasn’t what Harrison saw for herself, she has fully embraced it.

“I was one of those people who said, ‘Military is not for me.’ But college is very expensive, so, in October 2001 I enlisted with the ROTC program at Mississippi State University. That’s how my military career was started,” she said.

After being deployed in April 2006 to Baghdad, where she was a project engineer on a $45 million construction project, Harrison proved she was a leader, which, ultimately led to her appointment.

“She’s the only one I would pick,” Reynolds said. “I had worked with her before and, when she went to Iraq, I heard such good things about her leadership. She’s straightforward and honest. That’s what the company needed.”

Col. Eddie Chesnut, also with the 412th, said he was also impressed with Harrison’s work in the war zone.

“She did an outstanding job. She has high energy and is a dedicated individual,” he said. “We knew we needed somebody of a very high caliber. She was an exact fit. She’s just a super soldier and a great individual.”

While Harrison plans to spend most weekends in Vicksburg to take on her new responsibilities, she also has her day job, where she is a civil engineer with Pate Engineers in Houston. Joining the military, which she counts as “one of the best decisions I have made in my life” has helped her with her career.

“The best way for a young engineer to learn is to get out in the field and see your design being built,” she said of her experience overseas.

Now that she is settling into her role as company commander, Harrison has plans to implement some changes in the unit, such as replacing old equipment, which she said dates back to the 1980s, and making upgrades to combat uniforms. She also hopes to bring more structure to the physical therapy program so that soldiers will have an easier time fitting workouts into their schedules.

“I’m trying to figure out a course of action,” she said. “I look forward to the challenges.”

As far as what the future holds for the 1998 Warren Central High School graduate, she plans to go wherever her military career ends up taking her. And, that might just be another mark in history.

“Whatever decision I make, I will have to be sure it’s for the good of the unit,” she said. “I’d like to stay at least 20 years and I’ll either retire or keep going. I’d like to become a general. Maybe I’ll make history again. I don’t know too many women generals.”

The 412th was created in July 1923 with the activation of the 372nd Engineers, First Corps, Organized Reserves. During World War II, the unit saw active duty as the 372nd Engineer General Service Regiment. After the war, the Headquarters and Headquarters Service Company was assigned to Missoula, Mont., as a part of the Organized Reserves. In May 1949, the unit was redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 412th Engineer Brigade and assigned to Vicksburg under Third U.S. Army. Its ranks were filled by members of the 366th Engineer Construction Group, a successor to the 338th Engineer Regiment, the first post-war Engineer Reserve unit established in Vicksburg.

In January 1968, the brigade was redesignated as the 412th Engineer Command.

The command is a part of the U.S. Army Reserve, assigned to the U.S. Army Reserve Command. Its missions are executing engineer operations in the Korean, European and Pacific Theaters and in the United States.

The command is sponsored by three U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ activities — the Mississippi Valley Division/Mississippi River Commission, Vicksburg District and Engineer Research and Development Center.