Women's Equality Day was commemorated by Navy Installations Command (NIC) with a cake-cutting ceremony at the Washington Navy Yard Aug. 26.

This annual observance celebrates the anniversary of the Women's Suffrage Movement's greatest victory of women achieving full voting rights with the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Susan Fritz, deputy director for NIC command and staff department and a retired Navy master chief petty officer spoke during the ceremony about the importance of the day.

"We pause to honor these courageous suffragists and those events leading up to women's rights. We celebrate how far we have come from the previous decades," said Fritz. "The passage of the 19th Amendment is a testament to the courage and tenacity of the women and men who challenged the nation to live up to its founding principles."

In 1994, as a result of the lift of the combat exclusion permitting women to serve on combatant ships, Fritz became the first female command master chief for Sea Control Squadron (VS) 22, which was embarked on USS Eisenhower (CVN 69). During the deployment, she was the only female senior enlisted on the aircraft carrier.

"We fought for a long time to be equal to men," she said. "We have people in leadership positions who have an open mind, who can move us forward and who recognize that women can achieve goals just like men."

Today, all military positions are open to women including infantry, armor, reconnaissance and special operations.

"We need to tell our young women they can be whatever they want to be," said Fritz. "Whatever their goal is, they need to set their markers and sights to reach that ultimate goal. As long as they have the desire then we should be able to help them achieve that goal."

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