1 00:00:01,440 --> 00:00:03,329 shipmates . I'm Vice Admiral John 2 00:00:03,329 --> 00:00:05,329 Marston , chief of Navy Reserve and 3 00:00:05,329 --> 00:00:07,273 Commander Navy Reserve Force . I'm 4 00:00:07,273 --> 00:00:09,384 joined today by my wife , Kim , as we 5 00:00:09,384 --> 00:00:11,384 kick off the celebration of Women's 6 00:00:11,384 --> 00:00:13,607 History Month . Every March , we marked 7 00:00:13,607 --> 00:00:15,662 the contributions made and the glass 8 00:00:15,662 --> 00:00:15,600 ceilings broken by women around the 9 00:00:15,600 --> 00:00:17,656 world , including those in uniform . 10 00:00:17,940 --> 00:00:20,107 Did you know that women have served in 11 00:00:20,107 --> 00:00:22,440 our ranks since 19 oh , eight ? However , 12 00:00:22,440 --> 00:00:25,310 it was on March 21st , 1917 , 2 years 13 00:00:25,310 --> 00:00:27,588 after the Navy Reserve was established . 14 00:00:27,588 --> 00:00:29,810 In two days after women were authorized 15 00:00:29,810 --> 00:00:31,921 to join the Navy , the chief yeoman , 16 00:00:31,921 --> 00:00:34,032 Loretta Walsh , enrolled as the first 17 00:00:34,032 --> 00:00:36,254 woman in the Navy Reserve . Initially , 18 00:00:36,254 --> 00:00:36,230 women were allowed to join . The Navy 19 00:00:36,230 --> 00:00:37,897 Is yeoman to provide clerical 20 00:00:37,897 --> 00:00:40,063 assistance ? They were known as , um , 21 00:00:40,063 --> 00:00:42,119 Annette's . It took another 25 years 22 00:00:42,119 --> 00:00:44,452 until , at the urging of our first lady , 23 00:00:44,452 --> 00:00:46,508 Eleanor Roosevelt , in 1942 Congress 24 00:00:46,508 --> 00:00:48,619 amended the Naval Reserve Act of 1938 25 00:00:48,619 --> 00:00:50,397 creating the women accepted for 26 00:00:50,397 --> 00:00:52,563 volunteer emergency service , commonly 27 00:00:52,563 --> 00:00:54,619 known as waves . The program started 28 00:00:54,619 --> 00:00:56,674 with about 120 female officers , but 29 00:00:56,674 --> 00:00:59,230 grew rapidly and by mid 1944 they 30 00:00:59,230 --> 00:01:02,420 counted 72,000 females officers and 31 00:01:02,420 --> 00:01:04,642 enlisted among their ranks . By the end 32 00:01:04,642 --> 00:01:06,809 of World War two , women accounted for 33 00:01:06,809 --> 00:01:09,480 about 18% of all ashore billets . I'm 34 00:01:09,480 --> 00:01:11,702 Kim must in joining my husband , John , 35 00:01:11,702 --> 00:01:13,310 today to honor the amazing 36 00:01:13,310 --> 00:01:15,477 accomplishments of women in the Navy , 37 00:01:15,640 --> 00:01:17,696 those that have already occurred and 38 00:01:17,696 --> 00:01:19,862 those that are yet to be realized from 39 00:01:19,862 --> 00:01:22,560 the sea , on the surface and below to 40 00:01:22,560 --> 00:01:25,410 the air , ground and space female 41 00:01:25,410 --> 00:01:27,940 patriots provide the Navy strategic 42 00:01:27,950 --> 00:01:31,460 depth in every theater every day . In 43 00:01:31,460 --> 00:01:34,000 the intervening years from the waves of 44 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:36,500 World War Two today , women have 45 00:01:36,500 --> 00:01:38,611 continued to break through barriers , 46 00:01:38,611 --> 00:01:40,111 often facing adversity and 47 00:01:40,111 --> 00:01:42,222 discrimination along the way to reach 48 00:01:42,222 --> 00:01:44,389 their goals . Lieutenant Barbara Allen 49 00:01:44,389 --> 00:01:46,250 Rainy became the first female 50 00:01:46,250 --> 00:01:49,050 designated a naval aviator , in 1974 . 51 00:01:50,140 --> 00:01:52,970 81 brave women arrived at the Naval 52 00:01:52,970 --> 00:01:55,600 Academy in Annapolis in 1976 . As the 53 00:01:55,600 --> 00:01:57,600 first women admitted to the service 54 00:01:57,600 --> 00:02:00,680 academy , Elizabeth Ann Rowe became the 55 00:02:00,680 --> 00:02:03,360 first of that class to graduate in 1980 . 56 00:02:03,940 --> 00:02:06,520 It took until 1994 for women to serve 57 00:02:06,520 --> 00:02:09,080 on combat ships , the first assigned to 58 00:02:09,080 --> 00:02:11,350 the aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower . 59 00:02:11,940 --> 00:02:13,996 The most recent barrier broken , was 60 00:02:13,996 --> 00:02:16,280 served on board submarines in 2011 , 61 00:02:16,840 --> 00:02:19,062 first supply officers , and three years 62 00:02:19,062 --> 00:02:20,896 later , as enlisted sailors were 63 00:02:20,896 --> 00:02:23,200 assigned to the boats , information 64 00:02:23,200 --> 00:02:25,200 warfare specialists can trace their 65 00:02:25,200 --> 00:02:27,256 gender barrier , breaking roots even 66 00:02:27,256 --> 00:02:29,311 further . Back to Rear Admiral Grace 67 00:02:29,311 --> 00:02:32,990 Hopper , 1944 Admiral Hopper , who also 68 00:02:32,990 --> 00:02:35,212 held a PhD in mathematics , enlisted in 69 00:02:35,212 --> 00:02:37,268 the Navy through the Waves program . 70 00:02:37,340 --> 00:02:39,284 She was a mathematics professor at 71 00:02:39,284 --> 00:02:41,451 Vassar College , was commissioned as a 72 00:02:41,451 --> 00:02:43,673 lieutenant junior grade and is credited 73 00:02:43,673 --> 00:02:45,896 with the creation of Kobol , one of the 74 00:02:45,896 --> 00:02:47,951 most important computer languages in 75 00:02:47,951 --> 00:02:50,720 history . A true , resilient pioneer 76 00:02:50,720 --> 00:02:52,720 who was honored by a guided missile 77 00:02:52,720 --> 00:02:54,942 destroyer and a new cyber center at the 78 00:02:54,942 --> 00:02:57,109 Naval Academy . Bearing her name , she 79 00:02:57,109 --> 00:02:59,300 retired as a rear admiral . She was an 80 00:02:59,300 --> 00:03:01,670 impressive sailor on many levels . And 81 00:03:01,670 --> 00:03:03,559 like Grace Hopper , today's women 82 00:03:03,559 --> 00:03:05,614 continue to make great contributions 83 00:03:05,614 --> 00:03:07,781 every day in our society . In our Navy 84 00:03:07,781 --> 00:03:10,003 and our Navy Reserve , for instance , a 85 00:03:10,003 --> 00:03:11,892 joint base , Andrews . We have an 86 00:03:11,892 --> 00:03:13,781 important Navy command . The Navy 87 00:03:13,781 --> 00:03:16,114 Operation Support Center , Washington D . 88 00:03:16,114 --> 00:03:18,226 C . Affectionately known as America's 89 00:03:18,226 --> 00:03:20,226 musk America's not has led by three 90 00:03:20,226 --> 00:03:22,337 accomplished women Captain Abby Bob , 91 00:03:22,337 --> 00:03:24,448 Lieutenant Commander Alisa Torres and 92 00:03:24,448 --> 00:03:26,614 command Master chief Amy Kelly . These 93 00:03:26,614 --> 00:03:26,500 three women are responsible for the 94 00:03:26,500 --> 00:03:28,556 largest and most expansive mosque in 95 00:03:28,556 --> 00:03:30,444 the Navy Reserve , with over 2600 96 00:03:30,444 --> 00:03:33,130 sailors assigned and 65 units , while 97 00:03:33,130 --> 00:03:35,297 not the first female , tried to lead a 98 00:03:35,297 --> 00:03:37,297 Navy Reserve center with 20% of our 99 00:03:37,297 --> 00:03:39,463 force female . That kind of leadership 100 00:03:39,463 --> 00:03:41,630 mix is still disproportionately rare , 101 00:03:41,630 --> 00:03:43,686 and they are setting the example for 102 00:03:43,686 --> 00:03:45,852 many others throughout our Navy , both 103 00:03:45,852 --> 00:03:47,908 male and female . We can learn a lot 104 00:03:47,908 --> 00:03:49,908 from their example . In closing for 105 00:03:49,908 --> 00:03:52,019 over 100 years , the Navy has led the 106 00:03:52,019 --> 00:03:54,352 way in integrating women into its ranks . 107 00:03:54,352 --> 00:03:56,408 Kim and I are proud of our history , 108 00:03:56,408 --> 00:03:58,741 but we know we are just getting started . 109 00:03:58,741 --> 00:04:00,852 Please join Kim and me in celebrating 110 00:04:00,852 --> 00:04:00,300 the achievements of our many superb 111 00:04:00,300 --> 00:04:02,411 women throughout history , as well as 112 00:04:02,411 --> 00:04:04,300 looking to the future to continue 113 00:04:04,300 --> 00:04:04,760 breaking barriers .