Dozens gathered at Naval Station Norfolk to catch the history of women in the Navy directly from the people who made it March 15.

The Women in the Navy Centennial Event, hosted by the Hampton Roads Naval Museum, presented a distinguished speaker and two panels comprising former and active duty Sailors.

"Women today have the power of choice," said Dr. Regina Akers, a historian at the Naval History and Heritage Command. "That power, however, was hard fought and hard won."

Speaking to an audience of male and female active duty and retired Sailors and Marines, Akers relayed how young women across the United States eagerly answered the call for service during both world wars, even though their enthusiasm wasn't always well received.

"Everyone didn't welcome this patriotism," said Akers about the reluctance of parents and male service members to embrace the change.

The event progressed to the panelists, women who made noteworthy strides in the progression of women's integration into the Navy. These include the first two female surface warfare officers, the first enlisted woman to serve on a ship and former Interior Communications Electrician 2nd Class Yona Owens of Owens V. Brown.

As a junior enlisted service member in 1978, Owens brought a lawsuit against the secretaries of the Navy and defense, winning the right of women to serve on non-combat vessels.

"Davy Jones' locker was supposed to explode if this happened," said Owens. "So, to the women who showed up and suited up, thank you."

Each woman shared her motivation for wanting to join the Navy. Some of the most popular reasons being an escape from a small hometown, money for education, following in the footsteps of family.

Regardless of the reason, each panel member was a pioneer in advancing women's service; however, they were rarely able to commune with other women to develop their cause.

"I was always the only woman in any of my classes," said Owens.

Today, women make up a 16 percent of the U.S. Navy workforce and more than 214,000 are currently active in the U.S. military.

The event was facilitated by the Hampton Roads Naval Museum, an official museum of the U.S. Navy dedicated to the study of 241 years of naval history in the Hampton Roads region.

For more information, visit https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/museums/hrnm.html.