For the first time in her life, Mrs. General Kay F. Rader will hold a Salvation Army rank in her own right when she assumes the designation of Commissioner Kay F. Rader on October 1, 1997.

Other married women officers have had that privilege since 1995, when the Orders and Regulations for Officers was amended to the effect that in the case of married officers, each spouse holds a rank in his or her own right. At that time, however, Mrs. Rader was already “Mrs. General Kay F. Rader,” and there was no provision for a married woman in her situation.

According to a bulletin issued by Commissioner Earle Maxwell, chief of the staff, the General decided upon the designation following the recommendation of the Advisory Council, whose members reviewed the position at his request.

In the future, the Army’s present international leaders will be referred to as General Paul A. Rader and Commissioner Kay F. Rader. Mrs. Rader will continue to wear her existing uniform trimmings, as the epaulettes of a “Mrs. General” do not include the gold bars worn by the General.