Suffolk Navy Commands Celebrate Women's Heritage Month

Navy Cyber Defense Operations Command (NCDOC) hosted a Living Wax Museum event in recognition of Women’s Heritage Month in the Hall of Heroes Auditorium on March 11.

The theme of the event was "Honoring the Past, and Working to Secure the Future." Several volunteers from Navy commands Naval Information Forces (NAVIFOR), Fleet Cyber Command (South), Naval Networks Warfare Command, and NCDOC, dressed up and represented 15 women whose acts of courage, determination, and achievements made significant impact throughout history.

Information Technician Senior Chief Kassidy Gordon, NCDOC's Senior Enlisted Leader, was the masters of ceremony and began the event by welcoming guests and thanking the Multicultural Committee and all the volunteers for their time, planning and participation.

Guest speaker Capt. Harold Cole, Commanding Officer NCDOC, recognized three women who made a significant impact in the field of cyber and defense.

"Although there are countless numbers of incredible women who have played major roles in the world, in the field of cybersecurity, we are fortunate to have an icon that many of us know and who is referenced more than just once a year, Adm. Grace Hopper. Adm. Hopper is one of the greatest figures we have to thank for building the foundations of what we today call cyberspace," said Cole. "I would also be remiss not to mention another icon, Ms. Katherine Johnson, who played a critical role in several historical space flights with the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, currently known as NASA. Johnson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015 at the age of 97, and just recently passed away on Feb. 24."

Cole also made a personal tribute to Ms. Rosemary Wenchel from National Security Cyber. "Rosemary was a deeply talented and technical, unassuming, quietly passionate and compelling soul as an information operations leader and practitioner. She had a broad reach and lasting impact with the information warfare community, and her sense of self and dedication to all spectrums of the cyber mission was peerless. Her recent unexpected death have left us all at a loss for words and send our deepest sympathies to her family."

“Today, women make up the majority of the electorate in the United States, have over 60 female admirals and generals between the different military services, more than 200,000 active duty service members, and more elected females in Congress than ever before in history, totaling over 100 members. Let us not forget that we stand on the shoulders of giants, and one of the best ways that we can honor their work is to actively continue it. In this way, we truly do honor the past and work to secure the future,” concluded Cole.

Vice Adm. Brian Brown, Commander NAVIFOR, joined Capt. Cole and the 15 women of the Living Wax Museum in front of the stage for the cake cutting ceremony.

The event concluded with the opportunity for all the Sailors and civilians to visit each women's station and learn more about their achievements in history. The women represented included: Maya Angelou, Amelia Earhart, Adm. Grace Hopper, Adm. Michelle Howard, Coretta Scott King, Michelle Obama, Maria Eva Duarte de Peron, Debra Sampson, Justice Sonya Sotomayor, Harriet Tubman, and the women featured in the movie “Hidden Figures” - Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson.

NCDOC’s mission is to execute defensive cyberspace operations and enable global power projection through proactive network defense and reports operationally to U.S. Fleet Cyber Command/U.S. 10th Fleet.