Team Beale hosts Women’s History Month Mentorship Panel Published March 25, 2016 By Senior Airman Ramon A. Adelan 9th Reconnaissance Wing Public Affairs BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, California -- Members of Team Beale hosted a Women’s History Month Mentorship Panel to provide personnel the opportunity to ask questions about their experiences as a woman in the Air Force March 25, 2016, at Beale Air Force Base, California. A variety of senior non-commissioned officers and officers volunteered to share their diverse experiences, family balancing, mil-to-mil marriage, leadership, personal and professional development and deployments. Women’s History Month started as a national celebration in 1981, when Congress authorized President Jimmy Carter’s proclamation to begin the week of March 7, 1982, as Women’s History Week. In 1987, Congress designated the month of March as Women’s History Month. Since 1995, Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama have issued a series of annual proclamations designating the month of March as Women’s History Month. "As a very young enlisted Airman, I experienced a slight difference between the roles men and women were expected to perform in the military," said Maj. Kelly West, 9th Communications Squadron commander. "Compared to now, nearly 26 years later, the Air Force is dramatically different from expectations to tasks. We all provide the same technical skills and we all contribute strengths to the mission." According to recent statistics release from the Department of Defense, women represent 29 percent of Air Force military personnel and 30.5 percent of civilian personnel.