JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. –
Approximately 40 people, including Col. Bradley Hoagland, 11th Wing/ Joint Base Andrews commander, attended the Women's History Month Luncheon March 3, 2016, to kick off Women's History Month.
Maj. Gen. Linda Urrutia-Varhall, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance assistant deputy chief of staff, served as the guest speaker for the event. Opening combat positions to females, the percentage of females in the military, and her personal approach were among her topics.
"I'm all for opening the combat positions to women," said Urrutia-Varhall. "I'm also for keeping physical standards the same for both male and female. If you want to pursue that, go into it with your eyes open expecting to be treated the same, knowing that when you make it, it's because you met the standards, not because your name was Sally."
Urrutia-Varhall also spoke on the percentage difference between enlisted men and women. Approximately 19 percent of the Air Force is made up of women, with approximately 9 percent of women being officers.
Being a major general, Urrutia-Varhall stressed her efforts to relate to young Airmen and encouraged them to feel comfortable and confident in themselves.
"I don't care where you're at," said Urrutia-Varhall. "If you are in the Oval Office, it's because you were invited there for a reason, so you don't need to feel uncomfortable, embrace that."
Urrutia-Varhall implored Airmen to practice what she calls an "elevator speech," describing to the point who you are and what you do, and to use that to network within the Air Force.
"You have 45 seconds sometimes to make an impression," she said. "What will make you memorable to someone? Practice your speech, let people know what you do, be personable and approachable because you never know when an opportunity will come along."
"I felt that the most important part was when she emphasized the importance of networking," said Staff Sgt. Michael Martinez, 11th Logistics Readiness Squadron fleet management and analysis supervisor. "You should always have a 45 second speech ready to tell other people about yourself and what you do."
Those present at the luncheon listened on at the closing of her speech when she spoke of losing her husband five years ago, and explained that high-ranking officers are just people with families as well.
"I'm still just me," said Urrutia-Varhall. "I have a family, I've made sacrifices, and I can relate."
Urrutia-Varhall urged officers to get out of their offices to talk to their Airmen and be approachable to show they are people just the same.
"Airmen see me coming and they want to hide under their desk, or feel like they don't know what to say," said Urrutia-Varhall. "If I see you hiding under your desk, well I'm going to peek under there and ask how your day is going."