The Foundation aims to
bridge the gap in the public’s understanding of women’s
military service and encourages everyone to help in the
following ways:
Learn Their History
Women’s History Month,
celebrated in March, is a great time to learn about
trailblazing military women. Here are five you should know
about:
• In 1782, Deborah Sampson
disguised herself as a man to become the first woman known
to enlist as a soldier in the Continental Army. The only
woman to earn a full military pension for service during the
American Revolution, she served as an infantryman and was
wounded in action.
• Minnie Spotted-Wolf
enlisted in the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve in 1943, making
her the first known Native American woman to do so. Skilled
at breaking horses, she described Marine boot camp as “hard
but not too hard.”
• Capt. Sunita Williams,
an astronaut who served 322 days as commander of the
International Space Station, at one point held the record
for the most cumulative hours of spacewalking. During her
early Navy career, she flew helicopters in Operation Desert
Shield.
• Overcoming childhood
adversity, in 2010 Lt. La’Shanda Holmes became the first
African-American female helicopter pilot in the history of
the Coast Guard. She played a vital role in the Global War
on Terror.
• During her three
deployments to Afghanistan, Air Force Senior Airman Vanessa
Velez drove a loaded Humvee into enemy territory on more
than 120 missions.
Pay a Visit
Located at the gateway to
Arlington National Cemetery, the Women In Military Service
For America Memorial (Women’s Memorial) is the only memorial
dedicated to honoring the 3 million women who have served or
are serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. Preserving the details
of their achievements, from clerk typist to fighter pilot,
the Memorial aims to integrate military women into the
public’s image of courage. When visiting the nation’s
capital, consider adding this educational and inspiring
institution to your itinerary.
Share Your Story
Military women, past and
present, can register their service with the Women’s
Memorial and become part of the world’s largest register of
U.S. servicewomen and women veterans, which now totals
nearly 267,000 members. By sharing your story future
generations will come to know the valuable contributions of
America’s military women. To register and learn more, visit
womensmemorial.org/register-now.
At a time when the
Department of Veterans’ Affairs reports that women veterans
are the fastest-growing veteran population, recognizing the
collective service of women is more important than ever.
“No matter what you did
during your service, it’s an important part of history,”
says General McWilliams. “Without your story our history
will never be complete.”
Courtesy StatePoint
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