By Megan Clark |

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. – Women’s Equality Day is a day to reflect on the lives and contributions of the remarkable individuals who played and continue to play pivotal roles in women gaining equal rights beyond suffrage.

Program Executive Office Intelligence, Electronic Warfare & Sensors (PEO IEW&S) teamed up with the APG Federal Women’s Program (FWP) to host the annual Women’s Equality Day celebration on Aug. 19, 2024, at the Mallette Training Facility. While Women’s Equality Day is annually observed on Aug. 26, Team APG gathered early to discuss the passing of the 19th amendment, the FWP, and non-profit organization Federally Employed Women (FEW).

Nicholaus Saacks, deputy program executive officer for PEO IEW&S, provided opening remarks to the ceremony, saying he was thankful for everyone in attendance for taking time out of their days to learn something new and continue fighting for gender equality.

“The Army allows us to be all that we can be, and the passing of the 19th amendment was a step in the right direction for allowing all people to be all they can be,” Saacks said. “And while that was one step, there have been many subsequent steps since then, and there are still more steps to come.”

Keynote speaker

Lt. Col. Julia Ryan, deputy commander for nursing at Kirk U.S. Army Health Clinic, served as the guest speaker for the event, telling her Army story and what Women’s Equality Day meant to her.

“[This observance] celebrates the achievements of women’s rights activists,” Ryan said. “It reminds us of the unique daily struggles that we face…including focusing attention on women’s continued efforts towards gaining full equality.”

This year’s theme for Women’s Equality Day is ‘One Piece At A Time.’ Ryan went on to tell the story of how she came to be a lieutenant colonel and a nurse, one piece at a time.

She initially joined her high school’s Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps. She said she was attracted to the uniforms, the marching, the discipline, and camaraderie that the program offered.

“As a timid, quiet child, I decided I wanted to challenge myself and get out of my shell,” she said. “I joined sophomore year and ended up completing three full years of the program. One of my favorite aspects of AFJROTC was being on the co-ed drill team and marching in parades in my hometown.”

Ryan was also inspired by her brother joining the school’s air rifle team, which she later joined too.

“Air rifle is not a traditional female sport, however, I was welcomed and encouraged to participate,” she reflected. “The rifle team wanted more girls to join. I was treated as an equal there, for gender did not matter. Only skill [mattered].”

Ryan later attended Norwich University in Vermont, the oldest private military college in the United States. She believes AFJROTC prepared her well for military college, saying she felt “up for the physical and mental challenges” presented to her.

“I was outnumbered in another mostly male-dominated environment. The ratio of women to men in the Corps of Cadets was – and still is – about one to 14,” Ryan said. “Again, though, I was treated equally to the males in my class. At Norwich, race and gender did not make a difference. We were all held to the same standard.”

Today, Ryan is a lieutenant colonel and proud nurse, a focus area that “called to her.”

“We women can accomplish anything we put our mind and effort into,” Ryan said. “I’m so thankful to have been born and raised at a time when women are encouraged to follow their dreams. Everyone has their own unique strengths and perspectives that not only build our teams but assist in completing the mission. We aren’t done fighting for equal rights. Let’s continue building towards a more equitable future for all, one piece at a time.”

‘One Piece At A Time’ on APG

As part of this commemorative event, women from across organizations at APG joined leadership on the stage to speak to their own experiences that led them to their place today.

These women highlighted the importance of organizations like FEW and FWPs focus on eliminating sex-based discrimination and their partnership with the Freestate ChalleNGe Academy to mentor female cadets.

They reminded the audience about the role of community and workforce education, remembering your self-worth, and the support and access in the workplace they receive.

The general sense they reiterated was to their freedom from oppression, freedom to pursue education and a rewarding career, and how far women have come to be equal.

Nicole Karashin, chair of the APG FWP and financial specialist for U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command’s Army Research Lab, said that by her standing at the podium was “proof that we have made strides towards women’s equality.” She acknowledged there are more strides to be made.

“Each one of us has a story to tell, and each of our stories is a piece to writing ‘her-story,’” she said. “If we know one thing, it is that we cannot know where we are going without knowing where we have been.”