NEW ORLEANS - The Louisiana National Guard has selected 1st Lt. Melissa Liotta as the first female field artillery commander.

Liotta assumed command of B Battery, 1st Battalion, 1-141st Field Artillery Regiment 'Washington Artillery,' 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team at a change of command ceremony in New Orleans last month.

“She is a trail blazer, and no one is more deserving,” said Lt. Col. Christopher S. McElrath. “This will encourage other female Soldiers within the battalion to take that extra step in becoming a future leader in the Louisiana National Guard.”

“It is an incredible and surreal feeling,” said Liotta. “It is just another example of how much progress we are making in the Army towards gender equality and the integration of females in combat arms.”