MONTVALE, N.J.—To celebrate Women’s History Month, Montvale’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee invited the community to take part in “The Ultimate Challenge,” where teams work together to run or walk a combined 174 miles in the month of March.
The effort honored the 174 American women killed in action in continued combat operations as part of the war on terror, through Jan. 1, 2021.
When the dust settled, Montvale residents had logged more than 3,134 miles. According to organizers, the top two teams were the Montvale Police Department, with 734.2 miles, and Team Harley–Hills High School, with 640 miles.
Also representing were the Democratic Club of Montvale, the Diversity and Inclusion Committee, Fieldstone Middle School Physical Education Teachers, Team Memorial Milers, Girl Scout Troop 98120, Montvale Mayor and Council, Team Mario Kart, and many others.
Organizers said the challenge was inspired by the Piestewa Challenge, named in honor of SPC Lori Piestewa, the first American Indian servicemember to be killed in combat on foreign soil—as well as the first female service member killed in Iraq.
Piestewa was a United States Army soldier killed, in 2003, during the Iraq War. A member of the Quartermaster Corps, she died in the same Iraqi attack in which fellow soldiers Shoshana Johnson and Jessica Lynch were injured.
The Piestewa Challenge is the culminating inaugural community effort from “wear blue,” a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that honors the service and sacrifice of the American military.
Wear blue says online that it supports military members and their families, veterans, Gold Star families, and civilians “through active remembrance and meaningful relationships. We motivate and empower individuals to healthier, more inspired living.”
That challenge ran March 23– 30.
Amaka Auer, a school board member who also chairs Montvale’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee, told Pascack Press that her members wanted to create their own version of the challenge and sought to make it more manageable for people to participate in.
They invited participants to log 174 miles over a month rather than a week.
The committee also wanted to do something interesting to engage the community, Auer said. She explained the committee’s goal is to “think outside the box” in terms of planning events and initiatives to promote unity in the community.
The ad hoc committee, established last summer, has 10 members. The events it plans are those its members are interested in and that they feel will be meaningful to others.
The same group organized a book giveaway to commemorate Black History Month. They worked with Memorial Elementary School librarian Geralyn Westervelt on a list of books, and purchased through the Parent-Teacher Organization’s Scholastic book fair to benefit the school.
A goal was to introduce students to inspiring voices beyond those typically discussed each year during Black History Month. (See “Black History Month sees book donations,” Feb. 27, 2021.)
Auer said the Piestewa Challenge was personal for her as a West Point graduate and U.S. military veteran.
“I am former military, which makes it near and dear to my heart,” she said.
As part of The Ultimate Challenge, Mayor Michael Ghassali kept track of the event on his Facebook page. Each week honored a different woman; the post shared a bit about her story and accomplishments.
Auer said it was a “new way to highlight women. I think sometimes our military, especially women, aren’t really highlighted and there’s so many stories to tell.”
Auer said she chose each story. She knew that she wanted the first week of the challenge to honor Piestewa and share her story
The second week honored 1Lt. Ashley White, the first member of a cultural support team to be killed (2011) in combat. At the time, women were not allowed in roles that involved direct combat, but they could assist special forces units by completing a cultural support team training course. The teams enhanced combat effectiveness by building relationships with Afghan citizens. Auer said that she heard about White’s death from a colleague.
The third week honored 2Lt. Emily Perez, a Cadet Command Sergeant Major in the United States Military Academy at West Point. Born in Heidelberg, West Germany, of African American and Hispanic parents in a U.S. military family, entered West Point in July 2001 and became the highest-ranking African American female cadet in the institution’s history.
Perez was killed in action on Sept. 12, 2006, while leading a convoy through Al Kifl, Iraq. She was the first female African-American officer in U.S. military history to die in combat.
Auer said that she knew Perez and that they were classmates at West Point.
Auer said the challenge in deciding what stories to tell lay in trying to include as many voices as possible. She said that Women’s History Month should celebrate the accomplishments and stories of all women throughout American history.
“I think it’s very important for my daughters to see women who look like them and that women are capable of doing amazing things,” she said.
Auer also said that she was surprised by the amount of community engagement the event received. She said she believed that all of the teams participating would have been at 174 miles overall by the end of the month.
Teams sent weekly photos and updates to the Diversity and Inclusion Committee’s email address. The numbers for the top five teams were updated in each weekly flyer.
On March 20, Ghassali hosted a walk around the Wegmans complex, inviting residents to walk with him in support of Women’s History Month and The Ultimate Challenge.
“A lot of people came together to support our cause. It’s humbling,” Auer said.
The Montvale Diversity and Inclusion Committee welcomes volunteers. For more information write diversitycommittee@montvaleboro.org.