Colonel Antoinette R. Gant proudly stands facing a packed room of family, friends, and colleagues. Her eyes are beaming. Her smile can’t be contained. She not only commands the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) South Pacific Division; she’s in complete command of the attention in the room. Her husband, son, and daughter join her on a small stage. With careful hands, her family unveils two shiny silver stars from decorative boxes. That’s the last time her family—and anyone else, for that matter—will see her in a colonel’s uniform.