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NEW CASTLE, DELAWARE (2/12/2017) Major Gen. Carol Timmons took command of the Delaware National Guard today.
She replaced Maj. Gen. Frank Vavala, who retired after 18 years as adjutant general.
The ceremony took place at the Army Aviation Support Facility near New Castle.
As adjutant general, Timmons is Gov. John Carney’s chief military adviser.
She had served as assistant adjutant general, air since January 2012 and has nearly 40 years military experience.
Timmons was promoted from brigadier general to major general during today’s ceremony. She is Delaware’s first female two-star general and first female adjutant general.
She began her career in 1977 as a law enforcement apprentice with the Delaware National Guard’s 166th Security Forces Squadron. Later, she served as a helicopter pilot in the Army National Guard, a C-141 pilot in the Air Force Reserve and a C-130 pilot in the Air National Guard.
Timmons is a veteran of numerous overseas combat operations and a member of the Delaware Women’s and Aviation halls of fame.
Vavala was the longest currently serving adjutant general in the United States.
He began his military career in 1967, when he enlisted as a private in the Delaware National Guard. In 1970, Vavala received his commission as a second lieutenant from the Delaware Military Academy Officer Candidate School.
Before becoming adjutant general in 1999, he retired from DuPont, where he was employed as a marketing services supervisor.
He served with both his father, Brigadier Gen. Francis P. Vavala, and brother, Master Sgt. Gerard Vavala.