Photo By Chief Petty Officer Shannon Smith | 150507-N-BD629-444 FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (May 7, 2015) Carleen Lyden-Kluss, local...... read more read more
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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Female Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen attended the first-ever Fleet Week Port Everglades Salute to Women in the Military luncheon, featuring speakers and networking with military members and prominent local community and business women at the Riverside Hotel in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, May 7.
Approximately 120 Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen participated in the event, representing the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1), Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Cole (DDG 67) and USS James E. Williams (DDG 95), U.S. Coast Guard Sentinel-class Cutter USCGC Richard Etheridge (WPC 1102), the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit and local Navy and Coast Guard commands.
Hosted by Total Marine Solutions Inc. and Women’s International Transportation & Shipping Association USA, the event aimed to celebrate the service of female military members while also providing an opportunity to speak with successful business women who could provide a corporate prospective to the discussion of what it means to be a woman pursuing career opportunities.
“Why do we think this is important, why do you think we should even spend a little bit of time talking about this?” said Rear Adm. Mary M. Jackson, commander, Navy Region Southeast, and one of the speakers at the event. “Because when you bring women to the table, you bring women to the fight, you bring women to part of the team, and the team, the fight, the board room, it gets better, right? We bring talent to the table. Awesome, awesome talent. Don’t let anyone ever take that away from you.”
In her speech, Jackson highlighted a few U.S. Navy statistics, specifically that women represent 51 percent of the American population, but only 18 percent of active duty U.S. Navy service members according to Office of Women’s Policy, and that she is one of 20 female flag officers compared with 223 male flag officers.
“During my tenure in the Navy, there have been pivotal changes in law and opportunity that have affected the fact that I’m still standing here today, because I may not have still been serving,” said Jackson, who graduated the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) in 1988, just eight years after women were able to attend the USNA, and when female service on ships was limited to support and noncombatant ships. “In the past year, women serving on submarines have opened up, and that’s an amazing step forward as far as opening up that work environment.”
The event paired up local community and business leaders with service members to get to know one another and ask each other questions.
“I always enjoy speaking to young women and learning everybody’s story,” said Laurie Hawks, Florida market director for Humana Military, the title sponsor for Fleet Week Port Everglades. “Trying to inspire people and encourage women to do something for themselves, to get a career, and be strong in either the military or in corporate. I think as women we have to kind of superimpose ourselves into our business, or otherwise we get lost.”
Many women who attended the event highlighted the importance of these types of functions.
“When you go to these events, you just leave really inspired,” said Capt. Melissa Bert, chief of staff, Seventh Coast Guard District. “You make new friends, you learn a lot about people and you realize just how much you have in common with this incredible group of women in the maritime industry and in the service.”
Themes stressed at the luncheon included ownership of one’s career and opportunities, resilience, and the importance of support and camaraderie, all set within the framework of getting to know each person’s individual story and motivation.
“My personal life, I take it to work with me every day. I don’t separate it, I don’t put it in a separate box,” said Jackson. “I think that in the Navy, we’re getting better about saying, ‘bring your whole self to work.’ Because that makes us all better, and that’s not a gender thing, that’s an us, everyone thing, that applies to women, men, because then we’re better at what we do and we believe in it.”
Master-at-Arms 1st Class Stacy Schectman, assigned to USS James E. Williams, said she enjoyed the event because of the information provided about career opportunities and programs.
“At first I was kind of leery, I want to be seen as a Sailor, not necessarily a female Sailor,” said Schectman. “It’s good information to be able to pass on to my junior Sailors ... We’re clearing the path for young Sailors behind us. There are doors that are still not all the way open, we’re kind of having to squeeze through, slowly but surely. I think just getting information out to these girls that, ‘Hey you know, there are struggles, but it doesn’t have to be a career-ending struggle, there are things out there that can help you make your way through.’”
Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen from five ships are participating in the 25th annual Fleet Week Port Everglades, a weeklong celebration and collaboration with the community of South Florida. The series of events and ship tours provide the citizens of South Florida an opportunity to meet Sailors and Marines, as well as witness first-hand the latest capabilities of today's maritime services, to gain a better understanding of how the sea services support the maritime strategy and national defense of the United States.
For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/FleetWeekPortEverglades or www.twitter.com/@FleetWeekPEV.
| Date Taken: | 05.07.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 05.08.2015 11:24 |
| Story ID: | 162681 |
| Location: | FORT LAUDERDALE, FL, US |
| Web Views: | 224 |
| Downloads: | 3 |
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