By Henrietta Yama/ NBC News
History was made yesterday for the Papua New Guinea Defense Force, when a first female officer was promoted to Commanding Officer in the force’s Rank and File.
Lieutenant Colonel Nancy Wii broke all barriers in the force which has been male dominated all along when she got promoted to Commanding Officer of the Air Transport Wing.
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| Wii creates History by becoming First ever Female PNG Defence Force Commander [photo Ms Wii, ] |
Ms Wii is among eight other male colleagues who got promoted recently at the Defence Force Headquarters in Port Moresby.
Her promotion is an achievement for all P-N-G women that has successively set a benchmark for young women and girls, who aspire to follow in her footsteps.
Lieutenant Colonel Wii’s success story is a testament that there is nothing women cannot do and is a beautiful inspiration for P-N-G women to look beyond boundaries and excel in their respective professions.
The story of a female to command a division in Papua New Guinea’s Defense Force is certainly not an everyday story.
Nancy Wii grew up dreaming of becoming an airplane pilot one day, and she envisioned her future beyond barriers, and worked hard to prove the world wrong.
Ms Wii was the first ever Papua New Guinean female to have been an aircraft pilot, and is the first female to command a division in the entire P-N-G Defense Force.
Being the first national female to break barriers is an absolute triumph for Lieutenant Colonel Wii and her family, including her Jiwaka people and all P-N-G women.
The 9th of Febuary-2022 will go down in the history of the P-N-G Defence Force as the day a first national female officer has been promoted to Commanding Officer in the force.
A proud Lieutenant Colonel Wii says her promotion is a promotion for all P-N-G women, and she encouraged PNG women to never belittle themselves, and always wear self-confidence as an armor of strength.
Ms Wii described her journey as very challenging, but she never made room for negativity to hinder her from pursuing her dreams.
She also took time to thank the top management of the Force for giving her the recognition, and acknowledged everyone who contributed meaningfully in her journey.
Colonel Wii says that it is never an easy decision to promote a female to a Commanding rank in an institution predominated by males’ overtime and for that she is grateful.
She adds that she intends to revive the Air Transport Wing which has been dormant for a while, and hopes to get the Aviation Safety Framework system in place in order for the Air Transport Wing to fully function, because this system will enable the daily operations of the ATW.
Colonel Wii is the eldest daughter of William Wii, a former two-time MP for the North Whagi electorate in the Jiwaka Province.
An emotional Mr. Wii attributed the promotion to his daughter’s boldness and courage to break barriers at a time when females were demoralized and credited her for proving the world wrong.
Mr. Wii recalls knocking on several doors to secure a space in a flying school for Nancy.
He says that he can remember Air Niugini turning her down for her height, but that never crumpled her dream of becoming a pilot.
Mr. Wii says, through her perseverance, he finally managed to secure a place with one of the flying schools in New Zealand from which she obtained her commercial license.
He also encouraged other fathers to take good care of their daughters and support them through to realize their full potential.
PNG Defense Force Commander, Major General Mark Goina labelled the well-deserved promotion as historical.
He says this shows PNGDF’s commitment to empowering women in the force and recognizing them as equal players.
The CDF understands, the task mandated to Colonel Wii is huge but believes she will deliver it soundly.
He says that Ms Wii was a commercial pilot flying the Milne Bay Airlines until she joined the force in 2005.
She is the eldest of ten siblings to William Wii and his two wives.
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