Novemer 19, 2009- The First Lady and Dr.
Jill Biden hosted a tea at the White House today to honor roughly 130 veterans from the Second World War forward, current
service women, and wounded warriors for their military service.
Also participating in the service were Secretary
of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General James Cartwright, members of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff and their wives, and other senior military and administration officials.
In attendance were Esther Corcoran, born
in 1905, one of the first women in the Army to achieve the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, and Alyce Dixon, born in 1907, who
served with the famous 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion during the Second World War.
The First Lady recognized those women in
service who’s power and pioneering strength blazed trails in U.S. military service.
“We have the first female four star
general (Gen. Ann Dunwoody), the first woman in the Navy to be
promoted to Master Chief, the first African American woman to serve as Chief Nurse at Walter Reed Hospital (Hazel
Johnson); the first woman in the Army Reserve to be promoted to the general officer rank. We have the
first woman in the Army to receive the Expert Field Medical Badge.”
“We have a lot of firsts and onlys”,
said the First Lady.
Mrs. Obama remembered the service men and
woman who lost their lives recently during the Fort Hood attack, like Amy Krueger. Mrs. Obama recounted the conversation Krueger had with her mother after the 911 attacks. After Kreuger’s
mother told her she couldn’t take on Bin Laden all by herself, Kreuger responded with, “Watch me.”
“And I think that more than anything,
that phrase "watch me" sums up the spirit of our women in uniform throughout our history”, said Mrs. Obama. “When
others doubted you, or dismissed you, or questioned whether you could endure the training or complete the mission, that was
your response, "Watch me”.
“Watch me succeed. Watch me
risk everything I have for the country I love. Watch me do my part to protect this nation and protect this union.
Watch me.”
As part of the White House commitment to
show appreciation for military members and their families the Second Lady, Dr.
Jill Biden, participated in the first “USO Care Package for Women” stuffing party at the Rayburn House Office
Building on Capitol Hill honoring American women serving in uniform. Volunteers assembled 2,000 care packages which
will be delivered to female troops deploying to Afghanistan, Iraq and other overseas locations.
The tea was the brainchild of Brigadier
General Wilma Vaught who reflected on a tea party that Eleanor Roosevelt had in the White House. Vaught
approached the First Lady with the idea after the two met at a Women in Military Service event.
“We’re coming for tea, right?,
reflected Mrs. Obama on their meeting. “I said of course we’re going
to have a tea. And here we are.”
[See Tea photos here].
Related
Women's Memorial - Brigadier General Wilma
L. Vaught, USAF (Ret.)
Hazel Johnson – First African American female nurse at Walter Reed
Janet Napolitano Apologizes To Veterans
First Female 4 Star General -
Tammy Duckworth
View video of ceremony.
