Photo By Sgt. Joshua Laidacker | Soldiers of 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, dressed as...... read more read more
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FORT STEWART, Ga. – The 3rd Infantry Division celebrated Women’s History Month with an observance ceremony hosted by 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd ID, on Fort Stewart, Georgia, March 11, 2015.
Women’s History Month is celebrated annually and highlights the contributions of women to history and society.
“The path that I am walking today, as a woman serving in our military, is a path that was paved for me and for so many others by some true heroes of the past,” said Lt. Col. Beth Behn, the logistics officer for Task Force Marne, during her address as the guest speaker.
Soldiers of 4th IBCT, or the Vanguard Brigade, represented five of the many heroines who have contributed to military history, during the ceremony.
“Women’s history, to me, it spotlights the women that came before myself to pave the way for our positions,” said Master Sgt. Michelle Blythe, the 4th IBCT senior career counselor, who represented Maj. Gen. Laura J. Richardson, the first female deputy commanding general of a maneuver division.
“My favorite part is that I’m able to represent someone so significant in women’s history and women’s military history,” said Staff Sgt. Delia Watts, a sexual assault and response coordinator and equal opportunity leader with 4-3 Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th IBCT, who represented Col. Oveta Culp Hobby, who was the director of the Women’s Army Corp, and the first woman to receive the U.S. Army Distinguished Service Medal in 1943.
Behn’s address focused on the Women’s Suffrage Movement and the efforts of women to gain the right to vote and how that changed the opportunities women have today.
“I wanted to be a soldier from my earliest childhood; and what a gift that no one ever had to say to me, ‘No. You can’t do that. You can’t follow that dream. Only boys get to do that,’” said Behn, who recently commanded the 26th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd ID. “That gift was handed down to me and many others, from the generations of women who came before us boldly demanding equal opportunity to follow their dreams.”
Behn’s message resonated with some special guests, 30 female students from Snelson Golden Middle School of Hinesville were among the many attendees from across the installation.
“I thought it was pretty cool to see how women back then didn’t have as many opportunities as we do now, and I feel a little bit honored to have all the experiences that I do,” said Damica Roberson, a student who aspires to be a model and actor.
The soldiers who represented women of the past knew the children would be there and had their own hopes for the message the girls could take away from the ceremony.
“Young children always look up to soldiers and, a lot of times, young children, they see soldiers as a man, and it’s kind of cool some of them may now have a different outlook,” said Blythe, a native of Browns Mills, New Jersey. “It gives little girls something to aspire to.”
“We can be those cornerstones, those blocks for other women to build upon,” said Watts, a Houston native. “In 20 to 30, 50 years another woman can say: They opened those doors for us; look at where we’re at now.”
Damica added she was amazed at how hard women worked to earn the right to vote and how dedicated they were.
“That gift of equal opportunity is something that none of us should take for granted,” concluded Behn. “We have an obligation to preserve it, improve upon it, and pass it on to future generations.”
The Vanguard Brigade has demonstrated how they promote equal opportunities as they host combat leader courses available to all soldiers of the Marne Division, regardless of their gender or occupation, and for the first time, women will be allowed to attend the U.S. Army Ranger School with classes slated to begin April 20.
“We’re all a great part of this Army and we’re all doing our part regardless of gender,” said Blythe.
| Date Taken: | 03.11.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 03.15.2015 19:20 |
| Story ID: | 157050 |
| Location: | FORT STEWART, GEORGIA, US |
| Hometown: | BROWNS MILLS, NEW JERSEY, US |
| Hometown: | HOUSTON, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 117 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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