“We wanted to take the time to recognize a very important time of the year, Women’s Equality Day,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Jon Otero, the Leader Training Brigade’s senior noncommissioned officer, in a recorded message released Aug. 26.

He was joined by Col. Kenneth Dwyer, LTB commander, and Command Sgt. Maj. Joshua Bitle, commandant of the U.S. Army Drill Sergeant Academy in the “United Front,” to mark the day.

On this day, “we want to honor the achievements of women around the world, both past and present,” Bitle said. The day would not have been possible if it had not been for the generation that fought “for the equality of all women.”

Women’s Equality Day is celebrated every year on August 26 to honor the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. This fight continued until the Voting Rights Act of 1965, when protections for historically excluded groups were codified.

The day was established by Congress in 1973.

President Joe Biden wrote on Women’s Equality Day: “We honor the courage of generations of visionaries who have fought tirelessly for the sacred cause of women’s suffrage and all those who continue to work toward a more equitable future for women and girls in America.”

Some soldiers from the LTB talked about what this day means to them.

“As a woman in the military, it’s important to see other women in our ranks achieving and accomplishing things to motivate us,” said Staff Sgt. Jazmine Yussef. “I think one of those I admire is Master Sgt. (Janina) Simmons, the first mixed-race woman to graduate from Ranger School. She is also on her way to the Sergeants Major Academy, even though she has only been in the military for 13 years. I believe she can become the Army’s first female Sergeant Major.”

For Staff Sgt. Chelsea Samatra, this day simply means “celebrating all women around the world for their achievements and the hurdles they have had to overcome. It also shows the progress we have made in recent years in terms of discrimination against women.”

“But it also reminds us that there is still a lot of work to be done to improve equality for women.”

The Department of Defense, the Army and Fort Jackson are focused on promoting equality for women.

“The U.S. military continues to provide opportunities for all Americans to not only improve their own lives, but also to help defend our country and protect freedom around the world,” Dwyer said.