Linda Garcia Cubero

Infobox Military Person
name=Linda Garcia Cubero
lived=born c. 1958
placeofbirth=
|placeofdeath=


caption=Captain Linda Garcia Cubero First Hispanic woman to graduate from any service academy
nickname=
allegiance=
serviceyears= 1980-1987
rank=
commands=
unit=
battles=
awards=Joint Service Commendation Medal
laterwork= Director of Electronics Data Systems Corporation Captain Linda Garcia Cubero is a former United States Air Force officer, of Mexican-American-Puerto Rican descent.

In 1980 Cubero was a member of the first class of women to graduate from the United States Air Force Academy, and thus became the first Hispanic woman to graduate from any service academy; she is currently the director of Hardware and Telecommunications Procurement for the Global Purchasing Support Unit of Electronic Data Systems (EDS).

Early years

Cubero's father was a United States Air Force officer of Mexican-American descent and her mother of Puerto Rican ancestry. Her father was a very influential factor in her life and she decided to follow in his footsteps and apply for admission to the United States Air Force Academy. Despite the fact that she ranked 25/485 students in her high school class and that she was a member of the National Honor Society, her guidance counselors told her that she “wasn’t good enough” to make it into the USAFA. [http://www.latinastyle.com/currentissue/v10-5/punto.html Latina Style Magazine, Retrieved May 12, 2007] ]

United States Air Force Academy

The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA or Air Force), [Unlike the United States Military Academy at West Point and the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, which are often referred to by their respective city names, the Air Force Academy is "not" normally referred to as "Colorado Springs."] located immediately north of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States, is an institution for the undergraduate education of officers for the United States Air Force. Graduates of the four-year program receive a Bachelor of Science degree and most are commissioned as second lieutenants in the United States Air Force.

On October 7, 1975, President Gerald R. Ford signed legislation permitting women to enter the United States service academies. On June 26, 1976, Cubero was among 157 women that entered the Air Force Academy with the Class of 1980. In 1980, Cubero made history when she became a member of the first class of women to graduate from the United States Air Force Academy. There she earned her BS degree in Political Science and her free-fall parachute wings. Upon her graduation she was commissioned a Second Lieutenant.http://www.latinastyle.com/currentissue/v10-5/punto.html Latina Style Magazine] ]

Military service

Cubero spent the next seven years in the Air Force serving as a command briefer, and on national-level task forces at The Pentagon. In 1982, Cubero was the recipient of a Joint Service Commendation Medal for her work with the Pentagon's intelligence task force assigned to the Falkland Island conflict. While serving as Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Defense, Cubero supervised the development of a United States commemorative stamp designed by Hispanic Congressional Medal of Honor recipients to honor Hispanics in America's defense. The stamp was designed by the ten surviving Hispanic Congressional Medal of Honor recipients and unveiled on October 31, 1984. She continued to further her academic education and earned a Master's degree in Systems Engineering from Virginia Tech. [ [http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1984/103184c.htm Remarks at a White House Ceremony To Unveil a Commemorative Stamp Honoring Hispanic Americans, Retrieved May 12, 2007] ] [http://www.hispanicengineer.com/artman/publish/article_39.shtml Hispanic Engineer, Retrieved May 12, 2007] ]

Cubero also served as mentor to Hispanic Air Force cadets and was a volunteer worker in the wider Hispanic community. For her community service she was awarded the 1991 Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Pioneer Award.

Military decorations

Among Garcia Cuberos military decorations are the following:

*
*

Badges:
* Parachutist Badge
*

Civilian life

Cubero was honorably discharged from the Air Force with the rank of Captain in 1987. She went to work for General Electric Aerospace and by 1991 was working as the company's senior systems engineer.

Cubero then went to work for the Global Purchasing support unit for EDS as the director of software purchasing, directing more than $500 million annually in spending and managing 60 software and technology professionals in four departments. In April 1999, Cubero was named Director of Hardware and Telecommunications Procurement, Global Purchasing support unit of EDS, responsible for managing about $3 billion in annual hardware and software spending. [http://www.hispanicengineer.com/artman/publish/article_39.shtml Hispanic Engineer, Retrieved May 12, 2007] ]

Since 2004, she has been Client Director at Hewlett-Packard Managed Services.

Honors and recognitions

Cubero was awarded the Women of Color Technology Award in 1998. In 1998, Cubero was also inducted into the National Hispanic Engineering Hall of Fame. In 2002, Hispanic Business magazine named her one of the “100 Most Influential Hispanics” in the United States. [ [http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=25237 Defense Dept. Link] ]

References

ee also

*List of notable Puerto Ricans
*Puerto Rican women in the military