Military Women's Memorial

Our Military Women's Memorial Team sends our CONGRATULATIONS to the CLASS of 2024! It's an exciting time as they take the next step in their journey. We are especially looking forward to watching the next class of military women take their place in our nation's Armed Forces. Young women graduating from high school, college, and service academies are starting their military careers and we are eager to see everything they will accomplish. Our team is proud to watch the next generation of women blaze new trails and we can't wait to cheer them on along the way. PLEASE JOIN US in congratulating our 2024 grads! We hope you'll leave them some words of ENCOURAGEMENT & ADVICE as they start their military careers. To our newest military women, create your Military Women's Memorial (MWM) account and start writing your story of service to be included in the MWM National Register, an online database that contains the stories of service of more than 314,000 women. You can change and add to your story over time - update your rank, your memorable experience, your photo, and awards. Your MWM story and profile grow with you throughout your service. Register your story today - tell us about why you decided to go into the military, where you will be stationed, what you are feeling as you embark on this new adventure, ... We can't wait to see what you share! https://lnkd.in/eVKT9gdg #WeAreMWM #HerMemorial #CLASSof2024 #Congrats #militarywomen

The Military Women's Memorial Team wishes all who serve our nation a very happy Armed Forces Day. We can never show enough gratitude to you for answering the call to serve, your courage and dedicated service, and the renewed responsibilities you accept every day in defense of our nation. The Military Women's Memorial is proud to preserve and tell the stories of service of all women from every branch of the Armed Forces. Every day, we strive to educate the public about your service and celebrate you and your contributions to the defense of our nation. Thank you for registering your story and entrusting us with sharing it for all to know, for young Americans to be inspired and empowered by, and for current and future generations to comprehend the enormity of your individual and collective contributions to our nation. https://lnkd.in/eVKT9gdg #ArmedForcesDay #ArmedForcesDay2024 #HonorEducateEmpowerRemember #HerMemorial

CELEBRATE MWM PRESIDENT PHYLLIS WILSON for her BIRTHDAY! For almost 5 years, Phyllis has poured her heart and soul into the Military Women's Memorial and supporting the 3+ million women who have served our nation. She is fiercely dedicated to celebrating and honoring our women and ensuring their stories of service are preserved and told so that the public, at home and abroad, understands and appreciates the contributions women have made in defense of our nation. It is fitting that Phyllis' birthday falls during Military Appreciation Month. A true champion of military women, her greatest wish is to see the Military Women's Memorial thrive because with its success women who served and are serving receive the recognition, distinction, and honor they rightfully deserve. Join us in wishing Phyllis a happy birthday, and celebrate her by supporting the Memorial and the women who have served our nation. DONATE & LEAVE BIRTHDAY WISHES - On MWM website https://bit.ly/4ac02vI On Facebook - https://lnkd.in/e4NRuRjH #birthdaywishes #WeAreMWM #HerMemorial #celebrate #militarywomen

WE ARE MWM!!! A SEA of MILITARY WOMEN and thousands of supporters in a photo from the Memorial's DEDICATION will NOT DETER our MILITARY WOMEN from trying to find themselves. We love it when they come in and start to search. They are not always successful, but some days they are - like this week when Sheila Smith, LTC, ANC, Ret. and Sharon Bowman, LTC, ANC, Ret. were excited to find themselves in a Dedication photo located in our lobby. As MWM team members, we love being present to see our military women find themselves in their Memorial. It is a special experience. It seems so simple, but there is so much to it. Almost 27 YEARS after Dedication, as our military women so carefully and methodically search for themselves in the photos, they REMINISCE. They can tell you every detail of that day - the feeling of pride, the women they sat with AND CELEBRATED WITH, the FLAGS coming down the aisle, the sights and sounds, the RECOGNITION & GRATITUDE that many had never known before that day, how MOVED they were that THEIR MEMORIAL honoring THEIR SERVICE and THEIR JOURNEY was right there in front of them for all to MARVEL at. They recall the FEELING of BELONGING to something that they and their sisters-in-arms before them had created TOGETHER, but something that was so much greater than each of them. This place, this Memorial, THEIR MEMORIAL embodies their SERVICE, SACRIFICE, and SPIRIT. It was and is more than a place. IT IS each of them and ALL OF THEM. TOGETHER, THEY WERE, THEY ARE, and THEY ALWAYS WILL BE MWM. The next time you visit, we hope you will take a moment to "FIND YOURSELF” in YOUR MEMORIAL - in the photos from dedication, in the Register (national database), in an exhibit, in the images of your SISTERS, in the journey and LEGACY of service WOVEN INTO EVERY INCH of the Memorial, in the spirit of this special and EXQUISITE place that YOU ARE A PART OF. And, please, take some time to chat with a team member and TELL US about your service and YOUR JOURNEY. WE ARE VERY MUCH LOOKING FORWARD TO IT. Is YOUR STORY of service REGISTERED at YOUR MEMORIAL? - Register today - https://lnkd.in/eVKT9gdg TOGETHER, #WEAREMWM #HerMemorial #MWMsisterhood

We are honored to have the Honorable Christine Wormuth, the Secretary of the Army, join us at the Military Women’s Memorial 27th annual Memorial Day program to deliver the keynote address. The event is scheduled for 3:00 PM EST, May 27, which will be the third anniversary of her swearing in as the 25th Army Secretary. She is the first woman to serve in that position. As the civilian leader of the United States Army, Secretary Wormuth oversees the service's $185 billion budget and is responsible for decisions impacting nearly 1 million Active, Guard, and Reserve soldiers and more than 330,000 Army civilians. In her very first formal message to the Army family, she spoke about how humbled she was to represent the Soldiers, Civilians, and Families that make up the world’s greatest land fighting force. No stranger to government service, she has worked as a career civil servant and senior defense official on defense and national security policy for more than 25 years in such pivotal positions as the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, and the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans and Forces. She has also served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Homeland Defense and as a Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Defense at the National Security Council. She first entered federal service as a Presidential Management Fellow in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. It is a distinct privilege to have Secretary Wormuth join us at the Military Women’s Memorial, the very gateway to America’s most hallowed ground, to remember the long line of men and women who’ve worn the uniform of our nation and the sacrifices they made to keep our nation free. To reserve seats for our 27th Annual Memorial Day Program - https://bit.ly/4aBqOyA #HonorEducateEmpowerRemember #HerMemorial

Happy 82nd Birthday to the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps! In response to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, Congress approved the creation of a Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) on May 14, 1942 in order to free men from stateside posts permitting them the chance to fight overseas. #OnThisDay (May 15) in 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the bill into law. More than 35,000 women signed up to join the WAAC, although there were far fewer positions actually available. Women primarily worked in fields such as clerical, medical, driving, and food. The Pallas Athene, Greek goddess of victory, peace, prosperity, and the virtuous womanly arts was chosen as the WAAC insignia. Five training centers were established, and on July 20, 1942, the first 440 women officers and 330 enlisted women reported to duty at the First WAAC Training Center at Fort Des Moines, Iowa. Uniform supplies were inadequate, but the women made do. They were taught all the same courses as men except weapons and tactical training. Women officers trained for six weeks and upon graduation were commissioned “third officer,” which was equivalent to a second lieutenant. Enlisted women trained for four weeks and received the rank “auxiliary first class” when they graduated. July, 1943, FDR signed legislation that dropped the auxiliary portion of the organization and made it part of the U.S. Army. The newly formed Women's Army Corps (WAC) gave women all of the rank, privileges, and benefits of their male counterparts. Did someone you know serve in the WAAC or WAC? Tell us about it in the comments and PLEASE make sure her story of service is registered at her Memorial - the Military Women's Memorial. Preserve her legacy - https://lnkd.in/eVKT9gdg #HerMemorial #WeAreMWM #WAAC #USArmy

#OnThisDay in 1942, The Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps was founded! The forerunner to the Women’s Army Corps, the WAAC, though not part of the Army but run by the Army, was the first formal US military women’s component, besides the nurses corps, to support the World War II effort. #HerMemorial #WAAC #WeAreMWM

The Military Women's Memorial is honored to announce that JoAnne "JO" Bass, Chief Master Sergeant of the US Air Force, Retired, has been named a Military Women's Memorial Honorary Board Chair. https://bit.ly/3UAgWyq She will serve in this honorary role in recognition of her trailblazing service as the first woman to be named as the senior enlisted leader of any branch of the Military. Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force (Retired) JoAnne "JO" Bass has accepted the Women In Military Service For America Memorial Foundation's invitation to serve as an Honorary Board Chair in recognition of her trailblazing achievement as the first woman to serve as the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force. The Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, operates the Military Women's Memorial which preserves and exhibits the history of women who have served from all the uniformed services. The Foundation has long had pioneer senior flag officers from each of the services as Honorary Board Chairs, including Army General Ann Dunwoody, Air Force General Janet Wolfenbarger, Navy Admiral Michele Howard, Marine Lieutenant General Carol Mutter, Coast Guard Vice Admiral Vivien Crea, and most recently Lieutenant General Nina Armagno of the Space Force. Up until CMSAF Bass, no woman in the history of the U.S. military has become the senior most enlisted leader of their service, making her a unique trailblazer and a role model to hundreds of thousands of women, both in the Air Force and in other branches. MG (Ret.) Jan Edmunds, the current Board Chair for the Foundation said that CMSAF (Ret.) Bass' support as an Honorary Board Chair will help ensure that America's past, current, and future women Airmen can see their own unlimited possibilities. Please join us in welcoming JoAnne "JO" Bass, Chief Master Sergeant of the US Air Force, Retired, and thanking her for her support in honoring and telling the stories of all America’s servicewomen – those past, those still serving, and those who may choose to serve in the future. Learn more about Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force (Ret.) JoAnne "JO" Bass and her role as an MWM Honorary Board Chair. https://bit.ly/3UAgWyq #WeAreMWM #HerMemorial #HonorEducateEmpowerRemember

Happy 116th Birthday to the US Navy Nurse Corps! While the Navy Nurse Corps was established on May 13, 1908, when President Theodore Roosevelt signed the Naval Appropriations Bill which authorized its establishment, women had been working with the Navy as nurses well before the Navy Nurse Corps was created. Thank you to all of our Navy Nurses for your service! History of the Navy Nurse Corps - US Navy site (https://bit.ly/3QI9Yq7) "Nearly 50 years before the creation of the Navy Nurse Corps, women were providing nursing care for military casualties. The need for nursing help during the Civil War led the Navy to bring volunteer nurses aboard its first hospital ship Red Rover in 1862. Four Catholic nuns from the Sisters of the Holy Cross joined the medical personnel aboard Red Rover when it sailed on 29 December 1862.1 Throughout the Civil War, Red Rover operated along the Mississippi River, ferrying military patients (both Union and Confederate) to shore hospitals.2 Two of the nuns remained on board until Red Rover was decommissioned 17 November 1865. Additionally, several Black women, listed as “contraband of war” on Red Rover’s deck log, performed nursing duties aboard the hospital ship.3 Ann Stokes, a Black woman, boarded Red Rover in January 1863 and served aboard the ship until October 1864.4 She served as a nurse and later received a pension for her 18 months of service in the Navy.5 During the Spanish–American War, the Navy employed volunteer nurses to supplement the hospital corpsmen and male Navy doctors. The volunteer nurses were often recent medical school graduates or were on registries of non-profit organizations such as the American National Red Cross or Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR).6 The Navy could not promise they would be paid, although they were told they would be reimbursed for traveling expenses and receive moderate pay, if the means were available. They ultimately received $30 a month, plus ration allowances. The money came from private funds, not Congress.7 On May 13, 1908, President Theodore Roosevelt signed the Naval Appropriations Bill that authorized the establishment of the Navy Nurse Corps. The first nurses inducted into the corps were dubbed “the Sacred Twenty.” Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee and Esther Voorhees Hasson—who worked as an Army contract nurse aboard Relief during the Spanish–American War—were two members of this first group of Navy nurses. Both went on to become superintendents of the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps." #HerMemorial #WeAreMWM #NavyNurseCorps #HonorEducateEmpowerRemember

Our Military Women's Memorial Team sends our heartfelt wishes for a happy Mother's Day to all moms who are serving and have served our nation. Every day, you give your all to your family and your nation - to care for them and protect them no matter what it takes. For every hat you wear, you strive to be the best. Managing it all with grace and grit is quite the challenge, but we've never met a military woman who hasn't squared her shoulders, faced a challenge head on, said, "I've got this!" and rolled on. We know it's not always pretty or perfect, but most things that are worth it rarely are. We see you and you're crushing it! We're proud of you and your service, balancing work and home, accepting everything life throws at you, and raising strong, independent, well-rounded kids who love our nation as much as you. It is our honor to celebrate you today and every day at your Memorial. Thank you for all you do! We'd also like to send a special shoutout to all the women out there who raised and inspired strong, curious, independent girls and young women who went on to serve our nation. Thank you! #HappyMothersDay #WeAreMWM #HerMemorial