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The Miami-Dade County Military Affairs Advisory Board (MAB), chaired by Commissioner Kionne L. McGhee, participated in the grand opening of the “Women in Military Service” exhibit on May 18 in the Miami Dade Military Museum.
The all-female exhibition honors the invaluable contributions of women who served in the United States military around the world. The collection contains powerful testimonies to the heroism and tenacity of these servicewomen. Through its displays, the museum aims to raise awareness about their incredible contributions, both past and present.
Before the exhibit’s ribbon cutting, a group of panelists enlightened the guests with anecdotes of heroic women in the military, known to many as everyday sheroes.
Ambassador Jean Manes, Civilian Deputy to the Commander and Foreign Policy Advisor at U.S. Southern Command., opened the event with welcome remarks. In her capacity, she oversees the development and refinement of U.S. SOUTHCOM’s regional strategy and security cooperation plans as well as the Command’s strategic communication, public affairs, and human rights initiatives. She is a member of the Senior Foreign Service with the Department of State, having joined in 1992 and has served under five presidents. Throughout her 27-year career, she has led large-scale operations, focusing on empowering people and prioritizing resources.
Major Aries Hopf, Chief of the Women, Peace, and Security Program for U.S. Southern Command, introduced the panelists. In her position, she advances national level, DoD, and SOUTHCOM objectives to promote the meaningful integration and participation of women in the defense and security sectors throughout the Western Hemisphere. She has held leadership positions ranging from Network Health Assessor to Flight Commander, to Computer Information Systems liaison officer.
Command Chief Warrant Officer 5 Sandra Albelo addressed the public as she currently serves as the Command, Chief Warrant Officer of U.S. Southern Command. She has had numerous Chief Warrant Officer assignments including as Senior Warrant Officer and personnel manager for the General Officer Management Office, Pentagon Washington DC (2017-20), and her deployments include Operations Iraqi Freedom, Camp Liberty, Baghdad Iraq 2005; Camp Speicher, Iraq, 2006; Camp Iri:fjan, Kuwait, 2008.
Georgianna Carter-Krell was another panelist and is the former president of Gold Star Mothers and is the only person to have been elected to this position twice. Her son, Private First Class Bruce Wayne Carter, USMC, was killed in action in Vietnam on Aug. 7, 1969. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery.
Dr. Anthony Atwood delivered closing remarks as the founding executive director of the Miami Dade Military Museum. He is a retired Navy Chief Warrant Officer 3 with a PhD in History. His dissertation, posted online, of the History of WWII in Florida has had over 8,500 readers. He has taught extensively at the college level and serves as the Jack Gordon Institute Resident Military Historian.
For more information about this event, contact executive director of Military and Veteran Affairs Gustavo Cruz at 305-375-4493.
The Miami Dade Military Museum, located at 12460 SW 152 St., is open Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call 305-964-3783 for more information and/or to schedule a visit.
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