Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort

Through protest and activism, generations of women have appealed to values at the heart of our Nation and fought to give meaning to the idea that we are all created equal.

March is Women’s History Month, which is set aside to recognize women who helped build the foundation of the America we know today.

"When I was four years old yelling ‘ooh-rah’, my mother already knew it," said Cpl. Serina Benoit, an Aviation Ordnance Technician for Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 122.

Benoit is a 20-year-old woman whose lifetime goal was to become a Marine. She strives to do as well as or better than her male counterparts in the Corps, and pushes herself to be on a level playing field. In January she recieved the Amelia Earhart award for her hard work and dedication.

Amelia Earhart changed American history, and started a ripple effect for women around the world to push and do things that were considered to be a "man’s job".

Earhart was the first female pilot to conduct a transatlantic flight alone in 1932, and three years later she made history again by flying in the Pacific, from Hawaii to the American mainland.

"Amelia Earhart is my idol," said Benoit. "I want to be a pilot. I want to be the female on the flight line who flies the [F/A-18 Hornet]."

Benoit wants her name to go down in history as a woman making changes in the world. She knows it will be a lot of hard work and dedication, but she is determined.

"Goals are attainable, but they shouldn’t be so easy to reach that you don’t have to struggle," said Sgt. Maj. KeCia Jordan, the sergeant major of Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort.

It doesn’t phase Jordan that she is the first black female of the Air Station. She is humbled by the experience and does her day to day job.

"I couldn’t be where I am today without somebody in the past trudging through, making a path that I could follow, opening doors that I couldn’t even consider," said Jordan.

All three women have something in common: strength and courage. They don’t see the world with boundaries, but with doors waiting to be opened.

"If your heart desires to change the world as a woman in today’s society, do it. The only way we can show others what we can do is by doing it," said Benoit.

In the Presidential Proclamation for Women’s History Month 2015, President Barack Obama states,"As a Nation, we must join our voices with the chorus of history, and push forward with unyielding faith to forge a more equal society for all our daughters and grandaughters. One where a woman’s potential is limited only by the size of her dreams and the power of her imagination."

As the sergeant major of the Air Station, Jordan encourages young women to push and not give up on thier dreams.

"There’s a crack in the glass ceiling," Jordan said. " I won’t say we broke it, but there is a crack in it, and the sky is the limit."