Honoring Women Veterans

BY Marsha Four

On November 10, at the Military Women’s Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, VVA celebrated the contributions that seven women members have made for veterans healthcare and benefits. The following day, VVA took part in the 30th anniversary commemoration of the dedication of the Vietnam Women’s Memorial at The Wall in Washington. The creation of the memorial is a remarkable story that united hundreds of volunteers during ten years of continual commitment, overcoming hurdles thrown up to deter the memorial from coming to fruition.

The ceremonies at The Wall on Veterans Day began at 1:00 on a beautiful, crisp, fall afternoon, following the biannual Storytelling program at the Vietnam Women’s Memorial that morning. Among those who shared their military stories were active-duty U.S. Army Col. Cortney Sugai, who also spoke at the afternoon ceremonies at The Wall.

Diane Carlson Evans, the former Vietnam War operating and recovery room nurse who led the ten-year fight to build the memorial, gave a welcoming and stirring Keynote Speech. With the Vietnam Women’s Memorial dedication in 1993, she said, women veterans of the war “finally achieved their tribute and their path to healing. Never underestimate the power that a memorial has in healing the wounds of war, but never underestimate the power of women either."

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