DoD Observance of Women's History Month

1. THIS YEAR, MARCH WILL ONCE AGAIN MARK THE
BEGINNING OF A MONTH DEDICATED TO CELEBRATING WOMEN'S HISTORY AND
WOMEN'S CONTRIBUTIONS TO OUR GREAT NATION. THE THEME FOR THIS
YEAR'S OBSERVANCE IS "GENERATIONS OF WOMEN MOVING HISTORY FORWARD".
2. A SIGNIFICANT CHAPTER IN MARINE CORPS HISTORY BEGAN WHEN OPHA
MAE JOHNSON JOINED THE MARINE CORPS RESERVE IN AUGUST 1918. DURING
WORLD WAR II, ANOTHER GENERATION OF WOMEN WAS CALLED TO
"FREE A MAN TO FIGHT", AND OVER 19,000 WOMEN JOINED THE MARINE CORPS.
SOME OF THESE WOMEN WERE RETAINED AND BECAME REGULAR MARINES AS A
RESULT OF THE WOMEN'S ARMED FORCES INTEGRATION ACT OF 1948. JUST
TWELVE YEARS LATER, THE FIRST WOMAN ACHIEVED THE RANK OF E-9 WHEN
GERALDINE MORAN WAS PROMOTED TO MASTER GUNNERY SERGEANT IN 1960.
BERTHA PETERS WAS APPOINTED AS THE FIRST SERGEANT MAJOR OF WOMEN
MARINES THE VERY NEXT YEAR. IN 1967, THE FIRST FEMALE MARINES WERE
ASSIGNED TO A WAR-TORN COUNTRY WHEN THEY RECEIVED ORDERS TO VIETNAM.
SUBSEQUENT GENERATIONS OF MARINES HAVE SEEN THE FIRST FEMALE GENERAL
OFFICER, THE FIRST FEMALE PILOT, AND INCREASING ROLES IN COMBAT
ZONES AND OPERATIONS INCLUDING OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM.
3. TODAY, OVER 11,000 FEMALE MARINES SERVE ON ACTIVE DUTY AND MORE
THAN 10,000 FEMALE MARINES SERVE IN THE MARINE CORPS RESERVE. THESE
WOMEN SERVE IN 93 PERCENT OF ALL OCCUPATIONAL FIELDS WITHIN THE
MARINE CORPS, MAKING SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE MISSION AT
HAND EACH AND EVERY DAY. ALTHOUGH RESTRICTED FROM COMBAT ARMS
OCCUPATIONS, 166 FEMALE MARINES CURRENTLY WEAR THE COMBAT ACTION
RIBBON, AND 14 OF THESE AWARDS WERE EARNED IN 2006.
4. LIKE THEIR SISTERS IN ARMS, FEMALE CIVILIAN MARINES SERVE OUR
COUNTRY AND THE CORPS IN VARIOUS POSITIONS ACROSS THE NATION AND
AROUND THE WORLD. FOUR WOMEN CURRENTLY SERVE IN THE MARINE CORPS'
SENIOR EXECUTIVE SERVICE AND OVER 12,000 WOMEN ARE EMPLOYED BY THE
MARINE CORPS IN GOVERNMENT SERVICE POSITIONS, REPRESENTING 48
PERCENT OF THE ENTIRE CIVILIAN MARINE WORKFORCE. THEIR SELFLESS
SERVICE AND DEDICATED SUPPORT MULTIPLIES THE STRENGTH OF THE MARINE
CORPS AND EXEMPLIFIES THE MARINE CORPS SPIRIT.
5. WOMEN IN THE MARINE CORPS HAVE ANSWERED MANY CALLS TO SERVE AND
PROTECT THEIR BELOVED COUNTRY. AS OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE INCREASED,
EACH SUBSEQUENT GENERATION OF FEMALE MARINES AND FEMALE CIVILIAN
MARINES HAS STEPPED UP TO THE CHALLENGE AND PAVED NEW ROADS FOR
FUTURE GENERATIONS. SINCE THE FIRST WOMAN DONNED A MARINE CORPS
UNIFORM, FEMALE MARINES AND THEIR CIVILIAN COUNTERPARTS HAVE
ENRICHED OUR CORPS' HISTORY AND ENHANCED OUR COMBAT CAPABILITY.
FROM "FREEING A MAN TO FIGHT", TO STANDING BESIDE THEIR BROTHERS IN
ARMS IN IRAQ TODAY, WOMEN ACROSS THE MARINE CORPS CONTINUE TO SERVE
THEIR NATION WITH COURAGE, HONOR, AND PRIDE.
6. COMMANDERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO TAKE TIME TO RECOGNIZE AND
CELEBRATE THE CONTRIBUTIONS WOMEN HAVE MADE TO OUR CORPS.
COMMANDERS ARE FURTHER ENCOURAGED TO CONDUCT PROGRAMS AND PROMOTE
PARTICIPATION IN OBSERVANCE EVENTS BOTH ON BASE AND IN THE LOCAL
COMMUNITY, AND TO DEVELOP LOCAL THEMES FOR USE AT THEIR COMMANDS.