Good afternoon. It is a pleasure to be here with you on this Memorial Day – and it’s an honor to share the stage with such impressive representatives of our services. For some years now, my husband and I have made a point to come to Arlington Cemetery on Memorial Day. Standing here, with the Memorial Bridge outside connecting the cemetery to the heart of our national government, and surrounded on three sides by those who have given their lives for our country, it is fitting that we commemorate the women who have boldly stood in defense of our Constitution – some giving their lives – since the founding of the nation. The beauty of this place and its prominence in the DC landscape inspires all who pass by to “let the generations know that women in uniform also guaranteed their freedom,” just as we see etched into the panels of these halls.
From the earliest days of our nation, women have been steadfast and determined to defend this country. Since the Revolutionary War, more than 3 million women have served in the military.
One of the first to serve was Deborah Sampson, who disguised herself as a man and enlisted in the infantry during the Revolutionary War. Another, Margaret Corbin, took her husband’s place on the cannon line to defend Fort Washington against the British. Both of these women were wounded in combat while fighting for our country’s independence.
During the Civil War, hundreds of women disguised themselves as men and fought on the front lines. Some were discovered and imprisoned for impersonating men or suspected of being spies. Other women served openly, like Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, the first and so far the only woman to receive the Medal of Honor.
In every conflict that has faced our nation, women have answered the call to serve: from Cathay Williams, who rode with the famed Buffalo Soldiers, to the thousands of women who served during the World Wars in the Army and Navy Nurse Corps, the Army Signal Corps, and the Women’s Army Corps.
Over 10,000 women served in Vietnam, and some of those women went on to be the early integrators of the all-volunteer force in the 70s, 80s, and 90s – often facing discrimination, harassment, or exclusion from competitive positions and advancement. Their struggles paved the way for the women who served more recently during the fight against terrorism – women who fought with courage and bravery, like Army Sergeants Leigh Ann Hester and Monica Lin Brown who both received the Silver Star for valor in combat.
So many of the women who served in the military throughout our history were trailblazers, serving against the odds, sometimes against the law, and often facing significant discrimination. But there is one thing that all of these women have in common: from the first American woman to take up a musket on the battlefield to the women you see in uniform here today, every single woman who has ever served in the United States military has been a volunteer.
All these women – those who fought disguised as men or in defiance of the laws, those whose names are inscribed on headstones throughout Arlington National Cemetery and those who now serve with no limitations on position or rank– volunteered to serve.
These women volunteered even when it went against the rules, even when it went against the culture, and even when it went against the chance for professional advancement. These women volunteered because they believed that serving this nation and being part of something bigger than themselves were worth the sacrifice. They knew that freedom isn’t free, and these women volunteered to pay that price, even if it meant going against the odds, defying the norms, or even giving their own lives.
The women who volunteered throughout American history to serve in uniform laid the foundation that lifts military women up today to realize their potential like never before. We see women today ascending to the highest levels of military leadership, positions where they can positively shape the lives of hundreds of thousands of service members and make critical decisions about how our military forces are employed around the world. Just two weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend a meeting at the White House with the President and the four star leadership of our Joint Force. As I looked around the Cabinet Room, seated at the table I saw Admiral Lisa Franchetti, our Chief of Naval Operations; Admiral Linda Fagan, the Commandant of the Coast Guard; General Laura Richardson, our United States Southern Commander whose area of responsibility is the Western Hemisphere, and General Jacqueline Van Ovost, who leads United States Transportation Command. Each of these women leaders is a “first,” and their collective presence in the Cabinet Room underscores that women are serving and succeeding in all branches and at all levels today, from fighter pilots to tank crewmembers, from the infantry to the submarine force.
This memorial to women in the military reminds us it has taken time and effort to realize our founding father’s vision of equality for all, and that the sacrifices of those who have gone before us pave the way for the freedom and opportunities that we enjoy today.
So on this Memorial Day, let us remember the women who have died fighting for these freedoms. Women have fought and died for this country since its founding, but today I would like to reflect in particular on the sacrifices of women who gave their lives in the last twenty-three years since the attacks of 9/11. The women who died in combat since the war on terror began could otherwise have been standing here today, among you in uniform or as successful leaders in the civilian world. From Army Private First Class Lori Ann Piestewa, the first woman killed in Iraq, to Marine Corps Sergeants Nicole Gee and Johanny Rosario Pichardo, the last American servicewomen killed in Afghanistan. These women had so much to offer their country and they chose to give it all, to sacrifice their lives in defense of our country. During these conflicts we saw women fighting on the front lines and volunteering for assignments with special operations, like Army Lieutenant Ashley White, one of the first members of the Cultural Support Teams, who was killed in Afghanistan, and Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Shannon Kent who was killed supporting special operations in Syria.
As we stand here in this beautiful memorial, on this beautiful afternoon, one can sometimes forget that service in uniform not only requires courage, grit, and hard work, but can also bring great sacrifice, pain and tears.
But we cannot lose sight of this truth, or take that sacrifice for granted. This past February I stood under an overcast sky on the runway at Dover, Delaware, as our nation welcomed home the remains of our soldiers who were killed in an attack on their base, Tower 22, in Jordan. Two of these soldiers were women - Sergeant Kennedy Sanders and Sergeant Breonna Moffett. These women paid the ultimate price and gave all they had to give in service to this country. These women were bound by sisterhood, by their friendship, by their service, and now, they are forever bound by their ultimate sacrifice.
As their flag-draped transfer cases were carried off the aircraft and passed in front of the President and the nation’s leaders, I looked across the runway at their waiting family members and understood once again that we can never truly repay the debt we all owe to those who give their lives in service to the country.
I know from talking to their families that these women were remarkable. They were young and full of life. They carried on their family’s tradition of service, following grandfathers, fathers, brothers, and mothers who had served before them. They carried on the legacy of the many strong American women who fought and died defending our nation.
I hope their memories, their service, and their sacrifice will inspire all of us to carry on the legacy they represent. A legacy of strong, courageous, and determined women who volunteered to serve their country and to protect the ideals this country stands for – liberty, equality, opportunity and justice for all.
I hope you will join me in seeking to live up to the example they set. Let us work together and come together in pursuit of the ideals that define our Constitution and our country. And may we keep the memories of these women alive in our hearts, driven by their courage, heartened by the friendship they shared, and inspired by their service.
Thank you.
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