Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan

Service members and station residents gathered inside the Club Iwakuni ballroom aboard Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, to take part in the 2015 Women’s Leadership Symposium, March 31.

In honor of Women’s History Month, the symposium is held to celebrate the resolve and drive of women in and out of the military.

During the symposium, attendees received an opportunity to talk and learn from female leaders aboard station.

“This event is not only important for female service members and civilians, I believe everyone, male and female, can learn something from an event like this.” said Gunnery Sgt. Kelly Anderson, squadron gunnery sergeant for Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron.

Facing her share of hardship with more than 20 years in the military, Anderson said those hardships are what help build her character and fueled her fire to prove the naysayers wrong.

“We as females are a minority in the military,” said Anderson. “That’s why being able to talk to someone who has dealt with challenges is important for those who are junior to you. As females in the military we have left our mark in our respected services, we have broken barriers in the past and we continue to do so as time goes on. We will continue to assert our place in these organizations in the time to come.”

During the symposium, workshops concentrated on the struggles and accomplishments of women in the military, discussing how to honor the sacrifices of their predecessors.

“This is a unique experience for most of the attendees here,” said 1st Lt. Sarah Rhodes, an air traffic control officer with H&HS. “It’s not on often that you get the opportunity to sit with members of the Iwakuni community, putting ranks aside and pass on valuable information that may help a young Marine or sailor in the future.”

Rhodes said the more you learn from the past the brighter you can make the future for the next generation.

“Mentorship is one of the main goals of this symposium,” said Gunnery Sgt. Gabriela Richardson, services chief with Marine Corps Community Services Iwakuni. “We all strive to be the best at everything we do and by providing these young Marines and sailors with the opportunity to find someone that will inspire them to push themselves further and further, we help strengthen our strong lineage of females in the military.”

Both Anderson and Richardson said that they look forward to continuing to be part of this event in the future, adding that they highly encourage service members of either gender to attend because there is always a small piece of knowledge that can be taken away from events like this one.