Guard Senior Enlisted Advisor
Celebrates History Of American Fighting Women
(November 16, 2010) |
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Chief Master Sgt. Denise Jelinski-Hall celebrates the history of the American fighting woman during her Veterans Day speech Nov. 11, 2010, at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. Chief Jelinski-Hall is the National Guard senior enlisted advisor.
U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Leisa Grant |
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ARLINGTON, Va., (11/12/2010 - AFNS)
-- Women who served in the Women's Army Corps, the
Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron, the Women
Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Services ... were
not always considered equals, but they continued to
voluntarily serve in defense of their nation ...
they continued to prove their mettle, the senior
enlisted advisor for the National Guard said.
"It is my honor to stand on the shoulders of great
American service women who made it possible for
females to serve in leadership positions," Chief
Master Sgt. Denise Jelinski-Hall told an audience
here Nov. 11 at the Women in Military Service to
America Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery. "I
will continue to share the heroic stories of women,
so that generations to come will know of their
tremendous sacrifice to this nation."
Chief Jelinski-Hall said early women warriors like
Air Force Capt. Norma Parson, the first female to
join the Air National Guard in 1956, should be
remembered.
"These women were true trail blazers," she said.
"In the face of much opposition and joining in what
was then a 'man's world,' they overcame countless
obstacles to serve with honor and |
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distinction," she said. "The question for those of
us serving today is simple: 'What path will we
blaze?'" |
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Chief Jelinski-Hall said she sees pride, honor and
determination in today's female service members.
"Just as our predecessors did, when you are confronted with
a situation that calls for strength of character, I know you
will respond as they did," she said. "You will make the
right decision. You are blazing a new path for those who
will follow you."
Confronting challenges will never be easy or comfortable,
but it will be always be necessary, Chief Jelinski-Hall said
adding that when one is confronted with such a situation,
she should recall the words of President Abraham Lincoln:
"Courage is not the absence of fear. It is going forward in
the face of fear."
In 2005, Army Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester, a military police
officer in the Kentucky Army National Guard, became the
first female Soldier awarded the Silver Star since World War
II.
Building the legacy of the American fighting woman has come
at steep price. Records show that more than 80 women were
killed in battle during the Civil War and Spanish American
War. Hundreds of women lost their lives in World War I and
Word War II. Today, to date, more than 130 women warriors
have paid their last full measure in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"These women broke barriers," Chief Jelinski-Hall said. "It
is fitting today that we meet at the women's memorial next
to this hallowed ground of Arlington National Cemetery, to
remember those brave men and women who have gone before us.
"Thousands lie here in peace, having made the ultimate
sacrifice in defense of freedom the world over," she said.
"(And) this is just a small part of the history of the
American fighting woman ... this is our history."
Chief Jelinski-Hall said history will show that American
Soldiers, Marines, Sailors, Airmen and Coast Guardsmen are
unlike any other military in the world.
"We have not fought for a king, for pay, for plunder or for
land," she said. "Since the founding of our nation, our
service men and women have fought to defend our freedom and
the freedom of others around the world."
Veteran's Day gives us an opportunity to thank all veterans
and to pay respect to those who have paid the ultimate
sacrifice, Chief Jelinski-Hall said.
Today, we are ... all wearing the uniform of the finest
military in the world, serving with courage, honor and
distinction in the fight," she said.
"We're driving in convoys, manning security posts, flying
combat missions, conducting medevacs. Women are taking on
new roles and responsibilities ...we are putting our lives
on the line everyday ... as it should be." |
By USAF Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke
National Guard Bureau
Copyright 2010 | |
Reprinted from
Air Force News
Service
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