JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas -- Trailblazing women who overcame obstacles and broke glass ceilings took center stage at Brooke Army Medical Center's Women's Equality Day event Aug. 26.
"The legacy of brave women who served -- and continue to serve -- our nation and the Department of Defense further inspire us to strive for liberty and equality for all Americans," BAMC Commander Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Johnson said in his opening remarks.
The women's suffrage movement began in 1848, when the first women's rights convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York, led by Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. It wasn't until August 26, 1920 that the 19th Amendment -- giving women the right to vote -- was ratified into law, the commander noted.
"In the 96 years since the 19th Amendment was ratified, women have made tremendous strides in every facet of American life, and we have learned that our country and all of us succeed when women succeed," Johnson said.
The commander welcomed guest speaker retired Maj. Gen. Jimmie O. Keenan, former deputy commanding general, U.S. Army Medical Command, and former chief, Army Nurse Corps -- a woman with a distinguished 30-year Army career.
Keenan expressed her admiration for the women who broke down barriers, spotlighting one she especially admires, Col. Oveta Culp Hobby, the first director of the Women's Army Corps.
Hobby, who earned a law degree from the University of Texas in 1925, started her career in politics, but later switched to the newspaper business after marrying the president of the Houston Post, William P. Hobby. In 1941 she accepted a job as the director of the Women's Interest Section, War Department Bureau of Public Relations. One year later she was named director of the new WAC.
"She had to fight that first year for resources and recognition, had to challenge the gender norms," Keenan said. At the end of Colonel Hobby's tenure, WACs filled more than 239 different Army positions. For her achievements, Hobby became the first woman in the Army to be awarded the Distinguished Service Medal.
After the war, Hobby served as the first secretary of the Department of Health Education and Welfare, now Health and Human Services, and later as the publisher, editor and president of the Houston Post.
"I want us to remember women (like Hobby) today," Keenan said. "These champions of equality offer inspiring stories that give us a better understanding of our place in history. They broke barriers across the military for us."
In closing remarks, BAMC Command Sgt. Maj. Albert Crews lauded the contributions of our nation's female service members. "I have worked with many female officers, NCOs and privates," he said. "I have learned over the years to have a great respect for what they bring to our team. We could not be the greatest Army in the world without them."
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