COLORADO SPRINGS, CO — It's a familiar sound, the closing or opening trading floor bell at the New York Stock Exchange. On Tuesday, October 7, 2025 the people ringing that bell were graduates of our nation's military academies. The group was there to celebrate the moment fifty years ago on October 7, 1975 when President Ford signed a bill into law allowing women to enroll at military service academies.

One of those on the podium was retired Air Force Colonel Carolyn Benyshek.

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"What a great opportunity to help everyone else understand where we are, where we've come from, and we still have many miles to go," Benyshek said.

I spoke with Benyshek and former Air Force Captain Gretchen Cook ahead of their trip to New York to ring the famous bell. The pair graduated from USAFA in 1

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