Esther Aguigui (born 13 November 1961) is an Army National Guard officer who served as the Adjutant General of the Guam National Guard from 2019 to 2023.[1] She was appointed by Governor of Guam Lou Leon Guerrero in 2019. She was the first female officer to lead the Guam National Guard.[2]
As the Adjutant General, she was responsible for leading and coordinating the use of the Guam National Guard in both territorial and federal matters.
Education
Esther Aguigui graduated from George Washington High School in Mangilao, Guam in 1980. She earned a B.A. in Education from the University of Guam in 1989. Aguigui also earned a M.A. in Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College in 2017.[1]
Military career
Esther Aguigui began her military career in 1985, enlisting in the United States Air Force Reserve as an administrative specialist. She served in the Air Force Reserve until 1997 when she transferred to the Guam Air National Guard to become the first female First Sergeant in Guam's history.[1] In 2000 she was direct commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Guam Army National Guard and became an Adjutant General officer. From 2006–2007 Aguigui was deployed to Afghanistan as a counterintelligence officer. She was also deployed to assist with the Hurricane Katrina response in 2006.[1]
From there, Aguigui then became the first female officer to command a battalion level unit in the Guam National Guard when she commanded the Recruiting and Retention Battalion from 2014–2016. She then became the first female from the Guam National Guard to attend and graduate the resident course of the U.S. Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania.[3]
Adjutant General
On January 27, 2019, Guam Governor Lou Leon Guerrero nominated Lieutenant Colonel Esther Aguigui to be the next adjutant general of Guam, replacing Brigadier General Roderick R. Leon Guerrero who had been serving as adjutant general since 2015.[4] The appointment was met with controversy as to whether or not Aguigui met the qualifications and rank to take command of the Guam National Guard,[5] and due to a letter of reprimand issued to her by the outgoing Adjutant General.[6] The reprimand was later found to have been inappropriately issued.[7] However her rank caused Brigadier General Diron J. Cruz, the current Assistant Adjutant General to resign to avoid being subordinate to a lower ranking officer. To address this issue, the Guam Government state that Adjutant General is a position and not a rank.[8] While awaiting formal approval by the Guam Legislature, Aguigui was promoted to the state-level rank of colonel on March 15, 2019, by Governor Guerrero.[8] Her federal recognition as a Colonel was pending, due to undisclosed reasons, despite a personal appeal from the Governor of Guam.[9]
Aguigui was unanimously approved by the Guam Legislature as the Adjutant General on April 16, 2019.[1] Governor Guerrero promoted Aguigui to the rank of major general of the Guam Militia on May 5, 2019.[9] Her promotion has proven controversial as Guam law states that "No person shall be a member of the Guam Militia while a federally recognized member of the National Guard, or any active or reserve military organization." and Major General (GU) Aguigui continues to hold the federally recognized rank of Lieutenant Colonel.[10] Aguigui has also received criticism for her staff picks and leadership from members of the Guam National Guard in letters sent to the Governor of Guam.[11][12]
Aguigui retired from the military in 2023 and was succeeded by Michael Cruz.[13]
Civilian career
From 1985 until 2001, Aguigui worked as a teacher at George Washington High School in Mangilao and Agueda Johnston Middle School in Chalan Pago-Ordot, Guam for the Guam Department of Education.[1]
Dates of rank
| Insignia | Rank | Component | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Second Lieutenant | ARNG | 29 July 1999[14] |
 |
First Lieutenant | ARNG | 26 July 2001[14] |
 |
Captain | ARNG | 16 January 2004[1] |
 |
Major | ARNG | 20 August 2008 |
 |
Lieutenant Colonel | ARNG | 14 April 2014[15] |
 |
Colonel (GU) | GU | 15 March 2019[16] |
 |
Major General (GU) | GU | 5 May 2019[17] |
References
- ^ a b c d e f g "LTC Aguigui Nomination to Adjutant General" (PDF). Guam Legislature. Government of Guam. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
- ^ "Esther Aguigui becomes first woman appointed to lead Guam National Guard". KUAM News. KUAM. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
- ^ "Guam lieutenant colonel makes history as Army War College grad". The Guam Daily Post. 27 June 2017. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
- ^ "Brigadier General Roderick R. Leon Guerrero". National Guard Bureau. Government of United States. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
- ^ "Wording may cause confusion about Aguigui's qualifications". KUAM News. KUAM. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
- ^ "Guard nominee repaid $26K, reprimanded". Guam Daily Post. Guam Daily Post. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
- ^ "Guard: Reprimand an error". Guam Daily Post. Guam Daily Post. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
- ^ a b "Governor promotes Aguigui to colonel". Guam Daily Post. Guam Daily Post. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
- ^ a b "7 months on, no federal recognition for Aguigui's promotion". Pacific Daily News. Pacific Daily News. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
- ^ "10 GCA HEALTH AND SAFETY CH. 64 GUAM MILITIA" (PDF). Guam Courts. Government of Guam. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
- ^ "Letter questions Guam Guard leadership". Guam Daily Post. Guam Daily Post. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
- ^ "Latest anonymous letter criticizes Guam Guard's leadership". KUAM. KUAM. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
- ^ Leon Guerrero, Lou (March 1, 2023). "Governor Taps Colonel Mike Cruz as New Adjutant General". Office of the Governor. Hagåtña, Guam. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
- ^ a b "First lieutenant: Esther C. Aguigui". Pacific Daily News. Hagåtña, GU. November 6, 2001. p. 28 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "LTC Esther Aguigui is promoted". 24 July 2014. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
- ^ Daily Post Staff (March 15, 2019). "Governor promotes Aguigui to colonel". Guam Daily Post. Tamuning, GU.
- ^ Daily Post Staff (May 7, 2019). "Give the new Guam Guard adjutant general a chance to prove her leadership". Guam Daily Post. Tamuning, GU.