CASEY GARRISON South Korea - Women of different ages and ranks came together to honor women's history in the military in Casey Garrison's Thunder Inn March 31.
The event was held to educate Soldiers and honor women's history regarding how women have contributed to the Army and American history.
"When women were in the shadows of men, they were always contributing to history," said Sgt. 1st Class Ray Brown, 2nd Infantry Division, Equal Opportunity advisor, and partial organizer of the observance."
"We came here to celebrate women's history and to realize there may be a woman president in our future," said Capt. Taira Caldwell, and her 5-year-old daughter Thalia Caldwell.
"Equal opportunity in the military has definitely advanced from how it used to be in the old days," Caldwell said. "In the past women did not do the same types of jobs in the military as men. Since women have been given the same opportunities as men in the military, things have changed. We are now able to participate in the combat zone, so I think we've come a long way."
"These observances inspire future female Soldiers because they don't realize how far they have come until they are reminded of their recent history," said Caldwell. "We have come a long way."
"I used to want to be a company commander like my mommy," said Caldwell's daughter. "But now I always dream of being a singer when I grow up."
Female company commanders are not uncommon in today's Army. Women Soldiers have made a great positive impact.
"I've seen a lot more women doing a lot of things," Brown said. "When the war in Iraq and Afghanistan began, women have been working at the front lines as opposed to doing duty on the back lines with combat support.
Now women are assigned duties up front and are involved in combat, showing they are capable of fighting as true Soldiers."
"For this observance, we wanted to show what women have done in the past, what they are doing now, and what the future holds for women in the work place and the Army," Brown said.
"We're trying to look into the future and broaden our horizons for the future. Some of these young Soldiers are 18 and 19 years old, and they are going to be around 40 or 50 years after we have gone."
"2nd Infantry Division does a wonderful job with observances; they're always well planned and well executed. I think this event was a testament to the commitment of Soldiers," Caldwell said.
From being in the shadows of the military to becoming company commanders, the role of the female Soldier has definitely advanced.
Women have paved the way not only for female Soldiers, but for Soldiers in general. Women have done great things.
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