Women Veterans Day

Women Veterans Day is commemorated on June 12th in the United States in order to mark the anniversary of the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act.

History of Women Veterans Day

According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, Texas has about 177,500 female veterans. This is the largest number of female veterans of any state. During the 85th legislative session in Texas, State Representative Victoria Neave introduced House Bill 2698 to designate June 12 each year followed by Women's Veterans Day, a day to recognize and honor female veterans across the state.

The text of this measure was later attached as an amendment to Senate Bill 805, and was signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott on June 9, 2017. When asked about his role in the creating this legislation, Representative Victoria cited VA statistics as her motivation to create House Bill 2698:

In the State of Texas, there are the highest number of female veterans of any state in the nation more than 177,000 female veterans who live and work in our community. Women veterans have sacrificed for us and I am honored to be able to pass this legislation with the help of female veterans who have traveled across the state to testify in support of the law so we can honor their contributions and sacrifices.

On June 12, 2018, Representative Neave, along with the Veterans Women's Enterprise Center, celebrated the first official Women's Veterans Day in Texas. Events and celebrations are held in Dallas, San Antonio, Houston, and Austin, as well as several other cities throughout the state. These events are designed to raise awareness of the contributions women have made during their service in the United States military.

However, the need to create and pass this historic act did not begin with female veterans of Representative Neave or Texas; it is the formation of the United States.

A Brief summary of Women in the Military

American women have served in the military throughout the history of the United States. Below is a brief summary for references:

• Revolutionary War

At the beginning of the war, Major General Horatio Gates sent a request for a team of "good nurses" to take care of sick and wounded soldiers for Commander-in-Chief George Washington. General Washington, in turn, asked the Second Continental Congress to approve “a guarantor overseeing the nurses, bedding, and so forth,” and for the nurses to “take care of the sick and obey his orders.” management”, this did.

During the war, women also served troops in military camps in other traditionally women's roles, such as cooks and tailors. However, others serve in non-traditional roles. Some fight alongside their husbands, some disguise themselves as men and fight in battle, and some become spies alerting the US military to enemy movements, transporting contraband and carry messages between camps.

After the Revolutionary War, women continued to serve in Army garrisons as mess cooks, launderers or nurses, and some were employed by officer families.

• Civil war

During the war, women took on many traditional and non-traditional roles. Many women manage their own farms and families while their husbands go to war. In this field, women work as launderers, cooks, secretaries and nurses.

In fact, female nurses served in both Union Army and Confederate Army hospitals, and many worked near the front or on battlefields. About 6,000 female nurses, including about 181 African-American nurses, have served with federal forces, nursing homes and government hospitals.

The other women became "Daughters of the Regiment." Those are the women wearing regimental colors in the marches to gather soldiers before going to battle. Some Daughters also participated in combat, and were part of certain units during the war.

Some women have become soldiers. They cut their hair, padded their pants, tied their breasts and used masculine names to get through recruitment stations. In fact, more than 400 women have secretly enlisted and served as male soldiers.

• Spanish-American War

At the beginning of the war, typhoid fever became an epidemic. Therefore, the Doctor General requested and was empowered by Congress for a contingent of nurses on April 28, 1898. Because of the dedication and selfless service of these nurses throughout the conflict, the Army The team established the Nurses Corps as a permanent corps within its Ministry of Health. .

This allows nurses to be appointed to the Regular Army for three years and to be renewed if they have a “satisfactory record of effectiveness, conduct, and health.” However, no female nurses were appointed as officers during this time.

• First World War

When the U.S. government declared war on Germany in the spring of 1917, the newly enacted Selective Service Act required all males between the ages of 20 and 30. Thus, when about 16% of the workforce was Men go to war, women fill many vacancies at home. Women work as interpreters, doctors, dentists, pathologists, administrators, secretaries, statisticians, cryptographers, librarians, journalists, and laboratory technicians, as well as many other occupations. . Women also accounted for more than 20% of all wartime electrical, aircraft, and food machinery workers.

During the war, about 25,000 American women between the ages of 21 and 69 served abroad. Most are nurses, but others work as administrators, secretaries for telephone operators and architects. However, while women did not get any benefits for their service, their commitment are useful to create the 19th Amendment on June 4th, 1919. This amendment granted to women voting rights.

• World War II

With America on the verge of joining the conflict in Europe, Massachusetts Representative, Edith Nourse Rogers, introduced legislation establishing the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps, or WAC. The law is intended to allow women in the Army to receive the same protections as their male counterparts. Signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on May 14, 1942, women were awarded full military ranks during wartime.

At home, women take on professional roles to "liberate a fighting man". This includes work in military intelligence, cryptography and parachute fraud. Abroad, women did work important to the war. More than 60,000 Army Nurses have served around the world. More than 1,000 women have flown for Women Air Force Pilots; 140,000 women serve in the United States Army and the Women's Army Corps.

How to celebrate Women Veterans Day

The first Women Veterans Day on June 12th, 2018, marked the 70th anniversary of the groundbreaking WAC law signed into law by President Harry S. Truman on June 12th, 1948. To celebrate Women's Veterans Day future veterans, the National Veterans Association suggests the following activities:

• Post pictures of female veterans throughout your office.
• Share photos or stories of female veterans on social media with the hashtag #WomenVeteransDay.
• Coordinate and/or organize a trip to a local women's event.
• Write a tribute to a female veteran to share with a group of female veterans.
• Host a tea, brunch or lunch for female veterans in your family, friends or workplace and let them share their stories.