Photo By 1st Sgt. Justin A. Naylor | Christine Kindt, a retired sergeant first class, speaks with a group about Women’s...... read more read more
Subscribe
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. – “Throughout our nation's history, American women have led movements for social and economic justice, made groundbreaking scientific discoveries, enriched our culture with stunning works of art and literature, and charted bold directions in our foreign policy. They have served our country with valor, from the battlefields of the Revolutionary War to the deserts of Iraq and mountains of Afghanistan,” President Barack Obama said in a Presidential Proclamation, in which he set aside March as Women’s History Month.
In honor of this, 296th Brigade Support Battalion, 3-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division, held an observance March 26.
Christine Kindt, a retired sergeant first class who served with the battalion, was the guest speaker for the event and told a little of her story to the soldiers in attendance.
“I was trying to go to college and I’m hardheaded,” she said referring to when she joined the Army in 1983. “I didn’t want my parents to pay for it because I didn’t want them to tell me what to do.”
When she first joined, she said that she didn’t meet a lot of other women in uniform, but that changed over the course of her career, and no matter what, she never let being a female hinder her from achieving something that she wanted.
“I pushed myself, I looked for mentors that could help me,” she said. “It doesn’t matter; I found out later, if you’re a man or a woman, leadership is the same.”
This was reinforced to her many times during her career, but one memory stood out in particular.
“The first time 296 deployed, two female soldiers were killed in action,” she said. “If that’s not a reminder that we’re all equal in this uniform then it should be now.”
Kindt, who retired in 2004, now serves the military as a civilian and her son, Pfc. Logan Edwards, a medic with 296th BSB, is following in his mother’s footsteps.
“Two of my biggest inspirations are my mother and grandmother,” Edwards said.
As a child, Edwards watched his mother struggle to not only provide for her family but serve her country as well.
“I know she made a lot of sacrifices for us when was in,” he said.
He said he is proud of her service and how she helped set the stage for the women who would follow behind her.
Now, Edwards is serving in a medical company where the majority of his chain-of-command is female.
With the repeal of the combat exclusion rule, females in the military will not only continue to serve in their current capacity, but will be allowed to take on jobs once off limits to them.
“Each and every one of you took the same oath,” said Lt. Col. Christopher Corizzo, the 296th BSB battalion commander. “The threat that we all face as soldiers doesn’t discriminate based on gender.
As Women’s History Month comes to a close, the contribution of women to the military remains and grows stronger day by day, creating a lasting legacy.
| Date Taken: | 03.28.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 03.28.2014 17:33 |
| Story ID: | 123127 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WA, US |
| Web Views: | 101 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Stryker Brigade honors Women’s History Month, by 1SG Justin A. Naylor, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT