HILL AFB, Utah -- Editor’s note: As we celebrate Women’s History Month at Hill Air Force Base, we are featuring some of Team Hill’s female military and federal service employees through a series of spotlight articles.
Meet Natalie Childs, a police officer with the 75th Security Forces. Childs works the swing shift, supervising Hill’s civilian police personnel.
After just 19 months on the job, Childs became the first female civilian supervisory police officer for Hill. She was able to achieve this milestone thanks in part to what she calls her “hard charging work ethic.”
“I am proud of my accomplishment and hope that it paves the way for more women to gain leadership roles in law enforcement,” Childs said. “I joined the Hill police force because I wanted to provide the members of the military and their families, along with the hard-working civilian population on Hill, with the continued safety and security that living and/or working on a military installation affords.”
Childs said Women’s History Month is a great opportunity to recognize women for their hard work and positive contributions to the workforce and to their families.
“A woman’s job doesn’t stop when she leaves work,” she said. “Most women are constantly multitasking, so for an employer to show some recognition for their contributions makes the hard work worth it.”
She especially admires the example of her grandmother, who escaped West Germany during WWII and came to the United States, not knowing any English and having no family to help or support her. She learned the language and became a naturalized citizen through Ellis Island, New York. She later moved to California and started several successful businesses.
“My grandmother was an inspiring woman,” Childs said. “She worked hard her entire life, and passed her work ethic and drive onto all the women in my family.”
When she’s not protecting the base, Childs enjoys golfing, drawing and painting, riding her Harley, and enjoying the outdoors through camping, fishing, mountain biking and horseback riding.