Public health and Health Services at the George Washington university. Its with extreme pleasure that i welcome you here to very special afternoon at George Washington university. Im thrilled to see so many students, faculty, alumni, colleagues and supporters with us. I would like to acknowledge our friends and colleagues for joining us today via live web cast. If you are tweeting use the gwha. Its pound gwha, people in my generation. They celebrate International Womens women day. It began in the 1900s. We made tremendous progress when it comes to womens rights. But at the same time women disparity dont effect the lives of millions. Poverty, poor access to health care, inadequate nutrition and water afflict women and girls across the globe. Its a paradox we cannot and should not tolerate. Now more than ever we must focus on conducting research and conducting promises, policy, and interventions to provide solutions. Particularly proud of the work of the global womens substitute at Georg
But without discernible front lines in the wars of the last decade, women did serve in combat roles in iraq and afghanistan. Theyve been donning flak jackets, heavy packs and ended up in the middle of fire fights. We were taking fire everywhere. I just remember hearing the pings of the bullets going by me and hitting the ground beside me. I shot one guy, saw him fall. Reporter Leigh Ann Hester was the first woman since world war ii to receive the silver star. Helicopter pilot Tammy Duckworth lost both of her legs in combat and is now a member of congress. I think americas daughters are just as capable of defending liberty and freedom as her sons are. Reporter while an abc news poll showed threequarters of americans support women in combat, not all men serving agree. A young enlisted soldier tells abc news that woman in direct combat will create, quote, sexual tension, which can create a distraction that can be life or death. He added, women are designed to love and nurture. Men are des
From the battlefields of the American Revolution to the deserts of Kuwait, women have been serving in the military in one form or another for more than 200 year
There are so many incredible women who have fought and worked in the military and don t get the recognition they deserve. For instance, have you heard of Leigh Ann Hester? Leigh Ann Hester made history in the
When we think of war heroes, most everyone thinks of men because women were barred from combat for most of history. Only recently, nations began to lift