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Lake Wales resident, first ever woman Marine in combat operations to speak at RNC

Posted at 5:00 PM, Jul 13, 2016
and last updated 2016-07-13 17:21:34-04

A Bay Area Marine is going to be center stage at the Republican National Convention.

Kate Gates-Skipper received an invitation last week from the Republican National Committee to give a speech in prime time during the RNC in Cleveland.

She gladly accepted.

“Wow. Why me?” She said to ABC Action News about the opportunity of lifetime.

“They said they would like me to speak at the convention, and I said me? Really? And I said I’m just a plain jane, and they said that’s what we want,” she recalled.

Gates-Skipper really is no plain Jane.

She is the first ever woman marine to serve in combat operations and she did it for more than 20 years.

Since leaving the service, she has dedicated her life to helping veterans.

“With me, I’m all about veterans. 150 percent for veterans,” she said.

Gates-Skipper joined the Donald Trump campaign last year. She even introduced the presumptive republican nominee at the rally in Sarasota.

But she’s not dropping any hints about her much anticipated speech Monday.

“I’m like Mr. Trump. You’ll have to wait,” she said.

One thing she did reveal: her attire. She’ll be the one in a flashy, home-made Trump supporting cowboy hat.

You can catch Kat Gates-Skipper Monday. She scheduled as the last speaker, around 10:45. The theme is Making American Safe Again.