ARLINGTON, Va. - Women have served in the U.S. Army in varying roles since the days of the Continental Army and the Revolutionary War, but it wasn't until 1978 that women were fully integrated into the Army.
As part of the 30th anniversary of that milestone, the Army National Guard hosted a women's mentorship workshop.
For many, it was an opportunity to look back at the accomplishments of Army women of the past and to work toward greater accomplishments in the future.
"We wanted to use this as a means to take some time to stop from the high op tempo and learn from some successful Soldiers, women warriors, in the Army National Guard," said Maj. Eurydice Stanley, the National Guard Bureau's equal opportunity and civil rights program manager, who was one of the key organizers of the event.
Panelists during the event including women, who are senior NCOs, general officers and chief warrant officers, who shared their stories of entering the military and what were their keys to success.
"This is an effort to provide many things to junior personnel," said Stanley. "So, today's ceremony is an effort to ensure that junior personnel that might not necessarily have the opportunity to speak with the persons on our panel have that opportunity."
And by speaking, listening to and interacting with the panel members, Stanley hoped that those in attendance would come away with paths to set themselves up for success.
"We wanted to maximize the opportunity to ensure the participants have tools to focus on their personal development and achieve success," said Stanley. "And, success is how they define it. It might not mean promotion, it might mean some other personal goals. This is an opportunity to link with senior leaders and hopefully leave with a mentor."
And mentorship was something that many of the panelists hit on during the event.
"Do we mentor each other? Do women mentor women?," said Col. Marianne Watson of the Army National Guard's personnel branch. "Sometimes I think we do an O.K. job at it, but other times, I don't think we do a very good job at all."
Providing mentorship is one of the keys to success, said Watson, but she also passed on other ways to be successful.
"Just being a Soldier in the military, confidence is number one," she said. "You have to be confident in your job. And, if you're confident in your job, and when in charge, take charge, then things just kind of happen."
The event, which also featured representatives from the Army Women's Museum at Fort Lee, Va., provided a look back at the history and accomplishments of women in the Army.
But the event also gave a chance to look toward the future. "The doors are opening and we want to ensure we provide mentors as we go along so we can have more (successes)," said Stanley. "I hope as we work toward parity, that as we go on there are fewer and fewer firsts.
"And, that's great, we want there to be fewer firsts "¦ we want it to be commonplace."