Courtesy Photo | Col. Larry Phelps, the 1st Cavalry Division's (Rear) commander, speaks to Soldiers...... read more read more
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By Sgt. Robert J. Strain
1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs
FORT HOOD, Texas – Troopers from the 1st Cavalry Division gathered at the division's Memorial Chapel to celebrate Women's History Month, March 22.
The celebration was an opportunity for Soldiers to reflect on not only the women in history who have helped advance women's rights, but those women who have influenced each of their personal lives.
Col. Larry Phelps, the First Team's rear commander, said Soldiers don't need to look very far to find a good female role model.
"I doubt very seriously any of you are going to name Sojourner Truth as the most influential person in your life," Phelps said to the Soldiers at the celebration.
Phelps said most people would name someone closer to them, and for him, that woman is his mom.
"She put me on the course to join the Army, and 28 years later, I'm still where mama sent me," Phelps said.
Col. Victoria Bruzese, the Fort Hood garrison commander and the celebration's guest speaker, spoke about how things have changed throughout her career as an engineer, a field normally dominated by men.
"I have never looked upon myself as a female in the Army, it's always been 'I'm a Soldier who just happens to be a female that joined the Army,'" Bruzese said.
Bruzese told the Soldiers at the ceremony about some of the challenges she faced and the changes she saw while she worked her way up the ranks.
She also told the Soldiers about the many lessons she learned throughout her 26-year career.
"Don't let somebody write success for you – define success for yourself," was one of Bruzese's most important points.
Phelps explained that many things have changed for women since he joined the Army in 1978. Female Soldiers attended a different basic training and even wore a different uniform.
"The Army has changed," Phelps said. "It's gotten smarter, it's realized that talent does not belong to a gender - talent belongs to an individual."
Bruzese closed with a story about two women she met who served in the Coast Guard's Women's Auxiliary during World War II. One of them scrubbed pots and pans and the other raked rocks.
She thanked them for what they did in order to set the course of history and pave the way for women in the military since their time.
"The opportunities now that exist for women in the Army are absolutely phenomenal, and you all are doing such phenomenal jobs," Bruzese said.
| Date Taken: | 03.24.2007 |
| Date Posted: | 03.26.2007 08:34 |
| Story ID: | 9601 |
| Location: | FORT HOOD, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 139 |
| Downloads: | 112 |
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