Yolanda McCalla

If you know who this woman is, send me a DM because we need to connect or catch up.

This amazing human being is not famous and has no social media presence. When I googled her I got a possible address in Georgia, which I know is where she’s originally from, and an online guestbook comment for a funeral.

If she knew I had googled her she’d probably be appalled and no doubt she’d scold me.

The last time I saw her she was MSgt. McCalla. I know she’s retired now but I’m fairly certain I would still call her that. Not because she would demand it but because I have so much respect for the person she was when she was a part of my life.

MSgt. McCalla was my second ever female boss, and I dreaded working with her for two reasons. The first was because my first female boss was a total nightmare. One of the worst bosses I’ve ever had even all these years later.

Second, MSgt. McCalla had a reputation for being strict and mean, a real ball buster. I should’ve known that with the title of ball buster, that she wasn’t anything like that. Or rather she was but only if you were as stupid entitled white man who thought you could put her in her place.

She was no-nonsense and strict. She was also smart, driven, and tough as nails but always feminine, polite, politic, and professional. She was the first person who said to me that as a woman I would have to work twice as hard to be considered half as good.

She could have easily iced me out because I was white, but when a black female coworker gave me grief, MSgt. McCalla told us both that as women in the military we already had enough enemies. We needed to build on what we had in common to support each other not tear each other down.

That coworker and I were so much alike and way too competitive to ever really like each other, but we always put up a united front when confronting the Good Ole Boy network. I will forever be grateful to Yolanda McCalla for the lessons I learned while working for her.