GTMO Multi-Cultural Observance Committee Honors Women's History Month

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (SW/AW) Justin Ailes Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba Public Affairs

GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba (NNS) -- The Multi-Cultural Observance Committee at Naval Station (NS) Guantanamo Bay hosted the Women's History celebration at the installation's chapel, March 27.

The Women's History celebration was held to remember and honor generations of women who pioneered advances in civilian and military life, while responding to gender conflict and gender segregation.

"During Women's History Month, we recognize that the pioneering legacy of our grandmothers and great-grandmothers is revealed not only in our history books but also in our lives at Guantanamo Bay and the free choices we make every day," said Carol Leaphart, NS Guantanamo Bay Multi-Cultural Observance Committee co-chairperson. "This great legacy is also in the fierce determination and limitless potential of our daughters and granddaughters. In our generation we must stand and defend the dream of freedom and justice for all genders."

The event featured educational skits and performances from the installation's W.T. Sampson school students, readings from female civilian and service members in the community, and a speech from keynote speaker Charlotte George-Foreman, outlining the important roles women have served throughout history.

George-Foreman worked full time for the Department of Defense (DoD) in various billets, but mostly as an educator with DoD schools for more than 29 years. Presently she is a full time secondary teacher at W.T. Sampson and has taught at the installation for the past 13 years.

"Women's History Month is about celebrating women who taught us how to move and make progress in the midst of adversity and difficulty; how to go beyond the gender borders," said Leaphart. "We are celebrating women who taught us how to walk fearlessly, beyond the limitation, beyond the restrictions and beyond the boundaries imposed by the traditions of society. In the face of perilous times, courageous women of history like Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Soujoror Truth, Eleanor Roosevelt, Condoleezza Rice, and Michelle Obama, stood up against the storm winds of difficulties and adversities to shatter glass ceilings and open doorways of opportunities for all women, of every color and every creed, to be educated and develop to become all that they dream to be."

Proclamation 8780, signed March 1 by President Barack Obama recognizes March as Women's History Month and states, "As Americans, ours is a legacy of bold independence and passionate belief in fairness and justice for all. For generations, this intrepid spirit has driven women pioneers to challenge injustices and shatter ceilings in pursuit of full and enduring equality. During Women's History Month, we commemorate their struggles, celebrate centuries of progress, and reaffirm our steadfast commitment to the rights, security, and dignity of women in America and around the world."

Commentary: Take Time to Thank Unsung Heroes During Women's History Month

By Elaine Wilson
Special to American Forces Press Service

March 28, 2007 – The topic of women came up in my office the other day. We were trying to figure out the best way to highlight Women's History Month in the post newspaper, and we decided to ask a few outstanding women, "If you could be any other woman, who would you be and why?" We received some thought-provoking responses. Acting Army Surgeon General Maj. Gen. Gale Pollock said she would choose Abigail Adams, because she was "an original thinker" who advised against the discrimination of women. Army Col. Patricia Hastings, director, Department of Combat Medic Training, said she would pick Elizabeth Blackwell, the first female physician to graduate with a degree in the United States.

Although they emulate others, Pollock and Hastings are inspirations in their own right. Pollock is the first woman to hold the position of Army surgeon general, and Hastings runs the department that trains the Army medics who have boosted the survival rate out in the field to more than 90 percent.

Pollock and Hastings are just two of the countless notable women who have helped shape American history. As soldiers, they continue a tradition started when women first began to serve in the Army in 1775. They join the ranks of women like Army Brig. Gen. Coral Pietsch, the first woman general officer in the Judge Advocate General Corps, and Army Lt. Gen. Claudia Kennedy, the first woman to achieve three-star rank.

And, more recently, Army Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester helped her squad repel nearly 30 insurgents during an ambush of her convoy in Iraq. Hester became the first woman since World War I to earn the Silver Star Medal for exceptional valor.

History books and Web pages are filled with stories of these well-known and celebrated women. Their achievements and valor help shape our society and the young women who turn to them for inspiration.

With such high-profile achievements, however, it's too easy to overlook the countless other women whose walls may be less packed with accolades and achievements, but are a source of inspiration nonetheless. You may have seen one today at the desk next to you, in the hall or talked to one on the phone. They are women who do their job with excellence every day, not because they are paid a movie star's salary, but because of their inner drive and work ethic.

Women like my friend Air Force Master Sgt. Melissa Phillips, who is facing her second tour to Iraq in two years. She is handling the looming deployment with a grace and courage that I don't believe I'd have in the same circumstance.

Women who stand by their servicemembers, wounds and all, as they undergo a long, painful rehabilitation process. And any woman - whether a wife, mother, sister or grandmother -- who receives word that her loved one was killed while defending our nation's freedom and still manages to carry on.

I saw one of these heroes on a news report. Renee Ziegel had only dated Marine Cpl. Ty Ziegel for about three months before he was deployed to Iraq. He was severely injured when a suicide bomber detonated a car full of explosives. Ziegel was burned on his face and arms, and his left hand and three fingers on his right hand were amputated. But Renee didn't see the wounds; she only saw him. She stood by him for more than two years of surgery and rehabilitation, and they were married last October.

"If you love somebody, you're going to do what you have to do, no matter what," said Renee in a First Coast News article

Their stories, ones of fortitude and courage, are an inspiration to me. As a journalist, I've been to the Fisher Houses, medical and rehabilitation centers and have witnessed that courage firsthand. And I always ask myself if I would have the same courage faced with the same circumstances. I hope I don't have to find out, but if I do, I know there are women out there that I could turn to for my inspiration.

Take time during Women's History Month, and every other month, to thank an unsung hero. Thank a woman who inspires you, whether she is your mother, sister, friend or co-worker. Perhaps someone also will stop and thank you.

(Elaine Wilson is assigned to the Fort Sam Houston Public Information Office, where she is editor of the Fort Sam Houston News Leader.)

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