[This speech is adapted from text presented by Secretary of the Air Force, Dr. Sheila E. Widnall. The speaker may individualize it by noting local events or calling attention to honored guests, dignitaries, etc. Otherwise, the text may be presented as is.]

From mythological times to the present, some of us dream of flying. In popular culture, it usually is that "daring young man in his flying machine." Ladies and gentlemen, let's quash that stereotype today.

Early aviation pioneers included Amelia Earhart, Harriet Quimby, Nancy Love and Jacquelynn Cochran ... maybe not as easily recognizable (to some of you) as Charles Lindbergh or Jimmy Doolittle ... Yet these women made valued contributions to early aviation efforts.

Before America entered World War II, Gen."Hap" Arnold asked Jackie Cochran, the holder of numerous national and international air speed records, to command a group of 25 women. He wanted them to serve as air transport pilots in England -- the first group of women to enter the war effort in an operational capacity.

This group returned to the United States in 1942 and their success led to the establishment of the Women's Air Force Service Pilots or WASPs in 1943. During the war, the WASPs flew every type of plane in the U.S. Air Corps inventory in non-combat roles. They had extraordinary courage.

Over the course of the war, they averaged 33 flying hours a month, and culmulatively flew an estimated 60 million miles. More than 1,000 completed flight training and 38 gave their lives. The WASP motto was "We live in the wind and sand, and our eyes are on the stars."

Their dedication in defending our country blazed the way for later generations to take more active roles in the military, and the Air Force, in particular -- women such as Lt. Jeannie Flynn, a F-15E fighter pilot; Maj. Jackie Parker, an Air National Guard F-16 fighter pilot and graduate of the Air Force Test Pilot School; and Lt. Col. Sue Helms, an Air Force astronaut.

Today, the role of military women is to serve their country in whatever capacity, without artificial barriers based solely on gender. The truth is we can no longer distinguish between women's roles and men's roles in today's Air Force.

Women are widely accepted and respected as capable members of the force. Although the military services have had some bad examples of discrimination and harassment, the Air Force is dedicated to eliminating these problems. We're trying to deal with offenders and offenses swiftly and fairly. Obviously the ideal is an organization where ALL members are valued, respected and treated fairly.

In the Air Force, we place a premium on using the range of our women members not because they're women, but because they're 16 percent of the force and pivotal to readiness. Our record is outstanding. Over 99 percent of all Air Force career fields and positions are now open to women. The few positions that exclude women are connected to units that could be involved with direct ground combat.

Since 1989, the percentage of women pilot trainees in the Air Force has nearly doubled. In 1993, women were allowed for the first time to compete for combat cockpits. We already have 10 women pilots flying combat aircraft, with more in training. And, recently, Lt. Col. Eileen Collins lifted off in STS-63 as the first woman pilot of the Space Shuttle. These up-and-coming superstars-in-training build on the achievements of military women who have flown non-combat aircraft for some time.

The road to this equality has been ardous, even frustrating. All together, 350,000 women served in the military during World War II, not only in administrative or clerical fields, but also in more non-traditional roles, such as air transport pilots and mechanics. Although the combat exclusion law was in effect, they were shot at, killed and wounded, and taken as prisoners of war.

At the war's end, only a handful were allowed to remain. In effect, the Pentagon and Congress told them to go home and do the dishes -- which may have been fine for some, but certainly not for all. To keep them at home, Congress passed the Women's Armed Services Integration Act in 1948, which restricted the number of women to two percent of the total force, and capped their rank at colonel, one per service.

Time and the Vietnam War brought big changes. Women volunteered. As the war progressed, they were assigned to wartime operational commands and served in non-traditional fields such as intelligence, communications and transportation.

In 1967, Congress finally removed the two percent ceiling on numbers and the grade limitations which previously applied to women. Removing grade limitations had its effect. In 1971, Col. Jeanne Holm was selected as the first Air Force woman general officer.

The end of the draft in 1973 created a climate of opportunity for women. Without a steady influx of young men, the services had to look elsewhere to recruit enough qualified, enthusiastic young people to fill their positions. Faced with the reality of numbers, gender took a back seat in determining qualification, and the percentage of women began to rise. The women's rights movement of the 1970s also had an impact. As women strove for equality, including the full responsibilities of citizenship, many young women were encouraged to sign up.

We also saw a number of changes in Air Force policy during that decade, allowing for more equitable treatment between men and women. For example, women were no longer automatically discharged if they became pregnant or had adopted children or stepchildren. They also received benefits for their husbands that were in line with those received by Air Force wives.

In 1976, the service academies began admitting women. In another first, ten young female lieutenants entered pilot training at Williams AFB, Arizona. By the 1980s, there were enough Air Force women flying to permit all female crews. As the Air Force realized that performance, not gender, is what counts when you put together an all volunteer force, more and more positions opened up to women.

A lot of that change had to do with taking advantage of all the talent in our work force. And some of it had to do with the blurring of traditional front lines. The front line may be in the sea, air or wherever a SCUD missile hits. No place is completely safe; bullets and missiles don't discriminate. Women are often close to enemy fire. Primary targets in any war are the opposing side's supply and refueling capability, as well as all military bases.

Then came Desert Storm -- 12,500 Air Force women deployed. They served in tanker, transport and medical evacuation aircraft. They worked as munitions specialists and in aircraft maintenance. No Air Force woman saw direct combat, though five Army women were killed in action and 21 wounded -- all the result of SCUD attacks, helicopter crashes or mines. Two women were taken as prisoners of war. The women in the Gulf endured the same hardships as men, served for the same principles and played pivotal roles in the outcome. Since the Gulf War, the question of women in actual combat roles has come up again for serious soul-searching.

Since Congress repealed the combat exclusion law in 1991, and left the policies up to DOD, we are guided by Secretary of Defense William Perry's decisions. The policy is still under debate, but the Air Force closes only a bare handful of jobs, including air liaison officer, combat controller and pararescue.

As women move into leadership positions they provide role models and encouragement for others to follow. And that brings what could be the biggest challenge for military women of the future: securing and succeeding in leadership positions.

The one guiding factor is that performance will remain the measure of merit for women, as it is for men. We will not lower standards for women merely to achieve some artificial quota, nor we will demand higher standards for women merely because they must prove something, at the expense of the individual.

Women will still have the personal challenges of juggling professional life, marriage and family. They will have the cultural challenges of combining strength and sensitivity, projecting an image of confidence and competence. They have proven that they are ready, willing and able to accept the risks and responsibilities of military service. Today they are building on the gains and successes of the dedicated, courageous women who went before them and made important contributions.

The future is promising. We have the changing attitudes of a new generation of leaders -- including men who have daughters, wives or sisters in the military and see no reason why those women should not be able to go as far as their talents and hard work will take them.