The little-noted recognition of women veterans
On Saturday, Eagle staff writer, Golden Quill winner and U.S. military veteran Zach Petroff was on hand at the American Legion Post 778 in Butler Township for the second annual Food Truck and Rock Fest.
The fundraiser is a fun day out with the bonus of supporting Robin’s Home, which was started in 2019 as a supportive housing program for woman veterans. It has since morphed and branched out and now also provides support and programs to all veterans in Western Pennsylvania.
Amid the overwhelming sights, smells and sounds from food tucks and hula-hooping and chain saw carving, Petroff noted an important nugget of information:
June 12 is National Women Veterans Recognition Day.
According to womensmemorial.org, June 12 of this year marks the 76th anniversary of the signing of the 1948 Women’s Armed Services Integration Act by President Harry Truman. The legislation granted women a permanent place and an opportunity for a career in the nation’s military.
Of course, women served in many capacities in the Armed Forces before this bill. For example, according to the U.S. Department of Defense, some 3,000 women served as nurses for the Union Army during the Civil War.
In honoring the 75th anniversary of the act last year, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin noted that, following the World War II service of women in many noncombat roles, U.S. military leaders began to endorse making women full and permanent members of the U.S. Armed Forces.
“At one hearing, the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee questioned why women should serve in our military on the same basis as men,” Austin said. “The first witness to respond was Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower. And he said, simply, 'We need them.'”
When Truman signed the bill, women became eligible to serve as regular members of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps for the first time.
According to U.S. Veterans Affairs, there are more than 350,000 active servicewomen and 2 million female veterans in the U.S. And Robin’s Home is here to help as many of them as possible.
Back at the annual Food Truck and Rock Fest, Ev Searle, board president and marketing and fundraising coordinator for Robin’s Home, said “We’re pretty excited for this year. We feel like we were able to get the word out to all veterans this year.”
Searle said she estimated this year’s attendance more than doubled last year’s. Here’s hoping for another doubling next year.
And we should salute women veterans every day, not just June 12.
— RJ
