First Lady Honors Military Women, Vets
WASHINGTON, Nov. 18, 2009 – First Lady Michelle Obama today cited Army Staff Sgt. Amy Krueger, one of 13 killed during the shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas, as an example of the determination and courage that has characterized women’s service to the military throughout U.S. history.
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Obama, who hosted about 130 military women and veterans to tea at the White House today, remembered Krueger’s response when her mother told her she could not track down al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden singlehandedly.
“Watch me,” replied Krueger, who enlisted in the Army after the 9/11 terror attacks.
“That phrase, ‘Watch me,” sums up the spirit of our women in uniform throughout our history,” Obama told her guests.
“When others doubted you, or dismissed you, or questioned whether you could endure the training or complete the mission, that was your response, ‘Watch me,” she said. “Watch me succeed. Watch me risk everything I have for the country I love. Watch me do my part to protect this nation and protect this union. Watch me.”
Obama joined Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, in honoring military women, many who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and others whose service dates back to World War II.