Women veterans to be honored; learn their military history
Highland Lakes military organizations are teaming up to host a luncheon and ceremony to honor female veterans on June 28, a belated celebration of Women Veterans Day, which was June 12.
The event is from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday at Highland Lakes Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6974, 1402 Buchanan Drive in Burnet. It is a collaboration of the Burnet VFW, Patrick M. Goble American Legion Post 974, and the Women Veterans Alliance.
Women from any branch of the U.S. military and from all periods of service are invited to the free luncheon, along with their partners, caregivers, and support animals. The event includes presentations on Veterans Affairs benefits and local resources. RSVP to Sherry Morrey at 956-357-2139 or Lori Greco at 910-494-9634.
VETRIDE of Burnet County will offer transportation to and from the luncheon for local veterans. Call 830-613-9982 to schedule a ride.
Women Veterans Day
On June 12, 1948, President Harry S. Truman signed the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act, which allowed women to serve as regular members of the U.S. military.
In May 2017, then-state Rep. Victoria Neave filed a Texas House bill calling for June 12 to be recognized as Women Veterans Day and saw strong support, with Gov. Greg Abbott signing the bill into law later that year. The holiday has since spread to other states.
Facts from the United Service Organizations
- Women have served in the U.S. military since the Revolutionary War, with many supporting the Continental Army and militias that helped the 13 original colonies win independence from Great Britain. One of the more notable characters was Margaret Corbin, who snuck beside her husband to the front lines and fought at the Battle of Fort Washington in November 1776. Her husband was killed in the fighting, and she took his place on the firing line. She survived the battle, despite being shot three times, and became the first woman given a full military pension. In 1926, long after her death, her remains were moved from an obscure site near the Hudson River to the grounds of the U.S. Military Academy in New York state, best known as West Point. She was reburied with full military honors and hailed as “the first woman to take a soldier’s part in the War for Liberty.”
- An estimated 20,000 women participated in the Civil War on the side of the Union and untold thousands did the same for the Confederacy. Historians estimate that hundreds more might have disguised themselves as men so they could fight on the front lines.
- Thousands of women with the U.S. Army Nurse Corps served in World War I, treating Allied troops across the warfront. This was the first war in which American women were allowed to openly serve in the military.
- In World War II, women military service expanded further, with all branches existing at the time—Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard—enlisting them into their ranks. About 350,000 women served in the war effort.
- During the Korean War, following the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act, 120,000 women served in active duty positions between 1950 and 1953.
- About 11,000 women were stationed in Vietnam during the Vietnam War’s nearly 20-year duration. President Lyndon B. Johnson opened promotions for women all the way up to general, and in 1972, women were officially allowed to command units that included men.
- U.S. Army Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody became the first woman general in 2008.
- More than 40,000 women deployed to combat zones during the Gulf War from 1990-91, but at the time, they still could not technically serve in direct combat roles or assignments.
- President Bill Clinton rescinded the “Risk Rule” in 1994, which effectively allowed women to serve in all positions in the U.S. military except for direct combat roles.
- The ban on women in combat was entirely lifted in 2013 and the new policy went into effect in 2015. Since then, over 100 women have graduated from the Army’s Ranger School and others have completed Navy SEAL officer assessment selection. Both programs are widely considered the most rigorous in the world. About 9,000 women have earned combat action badges since being allowed in combat roles.
- More than 300,000 women served in Iraq and Afghanistan following 9/11, and today, about 16 percent of the U.S. military is made up of women.