JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. - –
The 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary) hosted a Women's Equality Day ceremony at Fort Eustis, Virginia, Aug. 22.
Women's Equality Day is celebrated on Aug. 26, and this year marked the 94th anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which granted women the right to vote. The event focused on how U.S. Service members, both male and female, can learn from women's sacrifices.
The ceremony featured a poem reading, biographies of women in history, a reading of the Women's Equality Day presidential proclamation and a speech by guest speaker, U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Tammy Smith, Army Reserve deputy chief of staff.
During the ceremony, Lt. Col. Kimberly Nash, 10th Transportation Battalion, 7th Trans. Brigade (Expeditionary) commander, expressed her belief that Soldiers must never forget the lessons of history.
"We should look toward our ancestors; those proud and great women who risked their families, their reputations and their very lives to create America," said Nash. "Then we must look to our future - a future created by you strong men and women who gathered to celebrate the strides made in the past for women's equality [and] continue that pursuit of equality for the future."
Members of the 7th Trans. Bde. (Ex.) read biographies of women's rights activists like Susan B. Anthony, an American social reformer who fought for women's suffrage; Jeannette Rankin, the first woman in the U.S. Congress; and Shirley Chisholm, the first female in the U.S. House of Representatives to run for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Smith believes servicewomen sometimes take the "American Dream" for granted.
"It's hard for us to imagine there was ever a time when women couldn't vote or serve in the Armed Forces," said Smith. "We have to honor the women who fought for us to have the same rights as men - the women who paved the way for us to serve in leadership positions in and out of the military."
Women now serve in every branch of the U.S. Armed Forces with the highest percentages serving in the Army and the Air Force. Events like the Women's Equality Day ceremony shed light on important moments in history, while encouraging both men and women to strive for excellence.