Women honored at COS Kalsu

Courtesy Photo | Col. Lisa M. Breitenbach, behavioral health consultant and United States Forces - Iraq theater psychiatric consultant, receives a personalized sledgehammer from the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division for being the guest speaker at the Women's History Month celebration, March 25, at Contingency Operating Site Kalsu, Iraq.  

KALSU, IRAQ

03.25.2010

Courtesy Story

1st Infantry Division

By 1st Lt. Jerone Smith
2nd Bn, 69th AR UPAR, 3rd HBCT, 3rd Inf Div

COMBAT OPERATING STATION KALSU, Iraq —Soldiers of the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, commemorated Women's History Month March 25, 2010, at the Contingency Operating Site Kalsu dining facility. The theme of the event was "Writing Women Back into History."

National Women's History Month celebrates the accomplishments, struggles, and determination of women in the United States. This celebration originated in Sonoma County, Calif., in 1978. From 1978 to 1988, the accomplishments of women were celebrated for one week. Congress recognized the importance of honoring the women of our society and expanded the celebration to one month in 1987.

The dining facility staff at COS Kalsu had an assortment of photos displayed that illustrated the significant strides women have made in history. The displays included video commentaries from the women of Kalsu, both Iraqi and American.

Interviews were conducted with three Iraqi women. They shared the challenge and obstacles they have faced as women. The similar elements in their stories were the love they have for their country and the desire to make it better for younger Iraqi women.

Col. Lisa M. Breitenbach , behavioral health consultant and United States Forces - Iraq theater psychiatric consultant, spoke at the event. Breitenbach, a native of New York, is a recipient of the George Engle Award for Excellence in Psychopharmacology.

As she spoke to the audience, she took them on a trip through time. Her speech covered 160 years of challenges women have faced. She highlighted key moments in which women have overcome those challenges.

Breitenbach began in 1949 with Elizabeth Blackwell, whose admission to Geneva College was the result of a joke. Elizabeth Blackwell overcame adversity and became the first woman to graduate from a formal medical training program.

Breitenbach also spoke about the Declaration of Sentiments that Fredrick Douglass published in the North Star, which was the "grand basis for attaining the civil, social, political, and religious rights of women."

She also spoke about World War I, which caused women by the millions to enter the work force, and Title IX in the Education Code, which was passed in 1972 and guaranteed access to higher education and included provisions for the expansion of athletic programs for women.

"Today, we would be hard-pressed to find a school or a field of study that is not open to women," she said.

To conclude her speech, she talked about the movie, "The Blind Side," a true story about Leigh Anne Tuohy who dared to be different and made a positive impact in someone's life.

Breitenbach used her movie reference to ask, "What does it take to bring about these changes?"

"Daring to be different involves finding ways to deal with our greatest obstacles -- the internal ones -- our anxieties, our fears and our doubts. As we continue doing these things, we will write ourselves into history; the history of our lives, our families, our communities and ultimately our world. The life of a woman is worth that of a man."

Lt. Col. David Priatko, deputy commanding officer of the 3rd HBCT also attended the celebration and presented Breitenbach with a personalized sledgehammer. After the event, the audience enjoyed refreshments and a cake that displayed the images of first lady Michelle Obama and Antonia Novello who was the first woman to serve as U.S. surgeon general.

• Date Taken: 03.25.2010
• Date Posted: 04.08.2010 08:14
• Story ID: 47838
• Location: KALSU, IQ