Page 8 - Edwards AFB Desert Wings 3-18-16

8 Desert Wings Community News March 18, 2016
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Women’s History Month
Honoring women who shaped America’s history, future

During the month of identified and shared. To gain step in the creation of the univer- was appointed secretary of labor the U.S. Civil Service Commis-
March, the country celebrates further understanding of the im- sal programming language, CO- XQGHU3UHVLGHQW)UDQNOLQ'5RR- sion under President Truman until
Women’s History Month. pact these women had in history, BOL. She served for 30 years and VHYHOWPDNLQJKHUWKH¿UVWIHPDOH 1952. After leaving her govern-
follow the a link. was later honored posthumously cabinet member in the United ment service career, she spent the
For calendar year 2016, the with the christening of the USS States. She held the position for rest of her life teaching and lectur-
theme selected by the govern- 1. In 2012, Janet C. Wolfen- Hopper in 1996. www.sdsc.edu/ 12 years, longer than anyone had ing. She died in 1965. www.ssa.
ment and Department of Defense barger became the first female ScienceWomen/hopper.html. before her. After serving as sec- gov/history/fperkins.html.
is “Working to Perform a More four-star general in the U.S. Air retary of labor, Perkins served on
Perfect Union: Honoring Women Force. After receiving her fourth 4. Tulsi Gabbard was born in
in Public Service and Govern- star, she became the commander American Samoa in 1981 and
ment.” of Air Force Material Command. moved to Hawaii at age two.
She had previously served as mili- When she was sworn in as a con-
During March we honor WDU\GHSXW\LQWKH2I¿FHRIWKH$V- gresswoman in 2013, Gabbard be-
the women who have shaped sistant Secretary of the Air Force FDPHRQHRIWKH¿UVWWZRIHPDOH
America’s history and its future for Acquisition at the Pentagon, FRPEDWYHWHUDQVWKH¿UVW+LQGX
through their public service and where she oversaw research and and the first woman of Samoan
government leadership. development, testing, production ancestry to serve as a member of
and modernization of an annual the U.S. Congress. In 2003, she
In March 1987, Congress $40 billion in Air Force programs. joined the Hawaii National Guard
passed a law designating March and volunteered to deploy to Iraq.
1987 as Women’s History www.af.mil/AboutUs/Biog- Gabbard continues to serve in the
Month. Since that time, every raphies/Display/tabid/225/Arti- Hawaii National Guard’s 29th Bri-
president has issued procla- cle/107934/general-janet-cwolfen- gade Combat Team. www.nwpc.
mations for Women’s History barger.aspx. org/tulsigabbard.
Month.
2. Clara Louise Maass volun- 5. Maria Mestre de los Dolores
Accounts of the lives of in- teered to serve as a contract nurse AndreuEHFDPHWKH¿UVW+LVSDQLF
dividual women are critically during the Spanish American War American woman to serve in the
important because they reveal in 1898. After the end of the war, &RDVW*XDUGDQGWKH¿UVWWRFRP-
exceptionally strong role mod- she participated in an experimen- mand a federal shore installation
els who share a more expansive tal program in Cuba to determine in 1859. Andreu took over as the
vision of what a woman can do. the cause of yellow fever. During lighthouse keeper at the St. Au-
The stories of women’s lives, her time researching and caring gustine Lighthouse in Florida after
and the choices they made, en- for the sick, she became infected the death of her husband, Juan, the
courage girls and young women and died. www.nursingworld.org/ previous lighthouse keeper. She
to think larger and bolder, and ClaraLouiseMaass. served as the lighthouse keeper
give boys and men a fuller un- until 1862, when the light was
derstanding of the female expe- 3. Grace Hopper joined the extinguished so that it would not
rience. The knowledge of wom- 1DYDO5HVHUYHGXULQJ:RUOG:DU help the Union Army during the
en’s achievements challenges I and continued to work for the Civil War. http://coastguard.dod-
stereotypes and upends social Navy as a reservist. In 1952, the live.mil/2013/03/sentinel-of-the-
assumptions about who women computer programming pioneer light/.
are and what women can accom- developed a program that trans-
plish today. lated programming language into 6. In 1933, Frances Perkins
PDFKLQHUHDGDEOHFRGHWKH¿UVW
A few facts about women’s
history are below for your en-
richment and understanding.
Each week new facts will be

Civil Air Patrol squadron plans open house

by Capt. Gail Harper Gailmary.Harper@cawgcap.org. CAP also participates in Wreaths U.S. military veterans.
Composite Squadron 84, CAP Civil Air Patrol, the longtime all-volunteer Across America, an initiative to remem- For more information, visit www.capvol-
EHUKRQRUDQGWHDFKDERXWWKHVDFUL¿FHVRI unteernow.com.
The Edwards AFB Composite Squadron U.S. Air Force auxiliary, is the newest mem-
84, a local unit of Civil Air Patrol, is hosting ber of the Air Force’s Total Force, which Air Force photograph by Rebecca Amber
a public open house 6-8 p.m., March 29 at consists of regular Air Force, Air National
WKH*HQHUDO:LOOLDP-)R[$LU¿HOGLQ/DQ- *XDUGDQG$LU)RUFH5HVHUYHDORQJZLWK Leaders of Civil Air Patrol Squadron 84 perform routine uniform checks during a weekly meeting
caster. the Air Force retired military and civilian RQ(GZDUGV$LU)RUFH%DVH,QGLYLGXDOVLQWHUHVWHGLQMRLQLQJWKH&LYLO$LU3DWUROPD\DWWHQGD
employees. CAP, in its Total Force role, op- 6TXDGURQZHHNO\PHHWLQJZKLFKDUHKHOGSP7XHVGD\V)RUEHV$YH%OGJ
According to Capt. Kevin Finster, squad- HUDWHVDÀHHWRIDLUFUDIWDQGSHUIRUPV
ron commander, the entire community is about 90 percent of continental U.S. inland
welcome to attend and learn more about search and rescue missions as tasked by the
CAP. Members of the squadron will be pres- $LU)RUFH5HVFXH&RRUGLQDWLRQ&HQWHUDQG
ent to greet visitors and share information on LVFUHGLWHGE\WKH$)5&&ZLWKVDYLQJDQ
CAP’s three missions: Aerospace Education, average of 78 lives annually.
Cadet Programs and Emergency Services.
Civil Air patrol’s 56,000 members nation-
CAP was founded Dec. 1, 1941, and the wide also perform homeland security, disas-
Edwards AFB Civil Air Patrol Squadron 84 ter relief and drug interdiction missions at
is hosting the open house as part of the 75th the request of federal, state and local agen-
anniversary observance designed to create cies. Its members additionally play a lead-
a greater awareness of CAP’s presence and ing role in aerospace education and serve as
contributions in the community. mentors to more than 24,000 young people
currently participating in the CAP cadet pro-
To request more information on the gram. Performing missions for America for
squadron or open house, may con- the past 75 years, CAP received the Congres-
tact Capt. Kevin Finster at Kevin.Fin- sional Gold Medal in 2014 in honor of the
ster@cawgcap.org or Capt. Gail Harper, heroic efforts of its World War II veterans.
the squadron public affairs officer, at