Latest news with #Women'sArmyCorps
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Okaloosa County announces two statues for Women Veterans' Day
OKALOOSA COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – June 12, 2025, marks the third Annual Women Veterans' Day ceremony at the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Convention Center for Okaloosa County. According to a news release, Okaloosa County officials announced two new statues will be unveiled. At 8 a.m. on June 12, a wreath-laying ceremony will be held at the Women Veterans Monuments at Veterans Park, with Commander 1st Operations Mission Support Group Col. Kristen Wood as this year's keynote speaker. The State of Florida recognized Women Veterans Day by proclamation from Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2021. It is a day that acknowledges President Truman's signing of the Women's Armed Services Integration Act that established the Women's Army Corps in the Regular Army and authorized enlistment and appointment of women in the Regular Air Force, Regular Navy, and Marine Corps. Wellness Wednesday: Weight, Muscle, and Endurance 'This event has become a beloved tradition for everyone in our community to recognize and appreciate the women who have served in our military since the Revolutionary War,' Okaloosa County Vice Chairman Carolyn Ketchel said. The new statues will recognize Captain Linda Bray and Florence Ebersole Smith Finch. Captain Linda Bray, who led her company during a firefight in Panama in 1989 when it was illegal for women to engage in combat. She was recently awarded the Bronze Star with V Device for her actions. Florence Ebersole Smith Finch worked with the Philippine underground to smuggle supplies to POWs during WWII. She joined the Coast Guard after being imprisoned and tortured by the Japanese and was awarded the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Ribbon and the Medal of Freedom. The statues will be officially placed at a later date. The Women Veterans Monuments at Veteran Park were unveiled by Okaloosa County in 2021. Eight women who served in combat are honored with life-size bronze statues. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Thank You for Your Service, Sarah Trail
MOORE, S.C. (WSPA) – It wasn't an easy life for Sarah Trail 'I remember going to school and putting cardboard in my shoes,' Trail told 7NEWS. 'Because they were so worn out.' Her mom came from the mills, and her dad was a farmer. 'We lived out in the country, and we had a horse and pigs and chickens,' Trail said. 'We had to take care of them.' Trail said one of her teachers saw potential in her and suggested she go to college. 'At the time, it was the only outlet for me,' Trail shared. 'We didn't have a telephone and I couldn't drive. I didn't have a car, and I couldn't go to any interviews.' So she followed that potential right to a recruiter. 'There had been a man, you know, come around trying to get people signed up,' Trail explained. 'And so I'd been thinking about it.' Trail enlisted in the Women's Army Corps. She said she knew it was a gateway to becoming a nurse. 'I learned a lot about medical care, and it helped me a whole lot when I was in nursing school,' Trail said. 'I was advanced to what all the other girls were because I was exposed to that when I was in the military.' Which, for Trail, was a two-year contract in Texas. 'In training, you learned to shoot a gun. You learn to march,' said Trail. It was during the Vietnam War era. Trail said she worked as a nurse in general practice, typically helping families of soldiers fighting in the war. 'Colds, sore throats,' she said. 'In the outpatient clinic, sometimes I'd go in there and fill in. Give them shots for them to go overseas.' Sure enough, that would open the door for Trail to continue her passion in the Upstate at Spartanburg Regional. Trail would spend 35 years there, until she'd eventually retire. 'You have to have a lot of compassion and a lot of stamina,' Trail said when describing what it takes to be a nurse. 'Be in good health and really desire to help people.' And drive, Trail added. It's something that came naturally to Trail as she set out to provide a life for herself. 'I didn't make the best or most money at the time, but I saved where I could,' she said. 'I bought the house by myself. I educated my son.' Trail said nowadays it's a bit quieter. But she's at peace with it. 'I like to garden and grow flowers. I do like to read a lot,' she shared. 'I accomplished a lot in life.' And keeping herself company with her doggie, Miss Dolly. 'When I go from one room to another, she goes with me.' Sarah Trail, thank you for your service. To nominate a veteran like Sarah Trail to be featured in our Thank You for Your Service series, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Governor Healey proclaims March 19 as Edith Nourse Rogers Day
BOSTON (WWLP) – March 19 has been officially named Edith Nourse Rogers Day, and the State House is celebrating with an exhibition on the Women's Army Corps. Nourse Rogers was the first ever Massachusetts woman elected to Congress, and she used her platform to ensure that women were permitted to serve in the military during and after World War II. Springfield Police Department celebrates six promotions with pinning ceremony 'She knew that women had the capacity to have a formal role within the military, and she fought for it, even if she herself would never have an opportunity to serve in a uniformed capacity,' said Mel Bloom, founder and CEO of 3-5-0 Girls. In order to honor Nourse Rogers' legacy and to uplift the accomplishments of all of Massachusetts women veterans, a series of uniforms will be displayed in the State House, showing that women contributed to war efforts just as much as men did. 'Their service, their sacrifice, their resilience, paved the way for us to be here today,' said Veteran Services Deputy Secretary Andrea Gayle-Bennett. Governor Healey admonished the Trump administration as the Defense Department's removes online pictures of women and people of color veterans as part of their initiative to do away with diversity, equity, and inclusion. 'It's a shocking way of treating men and women who have served,' said the governor. The governor said that Massachusetts will continue to uplift veterans, but it is up to the federal government to reverse course on removing pictures. 22News is celebrating Women's History Month all March long, from veterans to civilians, on air and online. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Little Rock World War II veteran celebrates her 100th birthday with parade
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – A Little Rock community came together in Little Rock to celebrate a special veteran on Wednesday. Mary Fine celebrated her 100th birthday on Wednesday surrounded by a whole lot of love as a birthday parade cruised by. Fine is a World War II veteran who served her country in the Women's Army Corps. She lives at Presbyterian Village in Little Rock. Happy Birthday and thank you for your service. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
28-02-2025
- General
- CBS News
Jeannette woman served in Six Triple Eight, the predominantly Black Women's Army Corps during World War II
A recent Netflix movie shines a light on the Six Triple Eight. It was the only predominantly Black Women's Army Corps unit stationed in Europe during World War II. The women were from all over the country, including Pittsburgh. The bombing of Pearl Harbor awakened the call to serve among all Americans and changed those who would respond to that need, women of color. In 1943, officer Julia McNeil from Jeannette enlisted in the Women's Army Corps. It was the only unit that included women of color, stationed in Europe during World War II. KDKA-TV's Mamie Bah sat down with her daughter Denise Ruffin and her granddaughter Michele Jackson. "She said just as simple as, 'I help get the mail through.' That was it," Jackson said. But it was more than just that. It was information — the only form of communication between our troops and their families back home. Army officials believed that lack of connection was hurting morale. The war was taking a toll on everyone, so a special unit was formed, the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, known as the Six Triple Eight. McNeil didn't tell the family about her historic service until she was in her 80s. "She specifically said 'I was part of this first ever all Black women regimen in the military,'" Jackson said. "Eighty years later, like, 'oh, by the way, I did this one thing,'" Jackson added. "That's true. That was my mom," said Ruffin. About 20 years ago, Pastor Anthony Murray honored veterans at the family's church, Hopewell Baptist Church. "She was even humbled then, saying, 'pastor, you don't have to do that.' I said, 'what? You have done a historical thing here,'" Murray said. McNeil was 22 years old when she joined 854 other female soldiers. The problem before them was mounting, several years of backloged mail. According to KDKA-TV's research, more than a dozen of the enlisted women were from western Pennsylvania. They were stationed overseas and worked in horrible conditions. "The focus was more about just doing the job of getting the mail out, that was her focus. She didn't talk about conditions. For her, that was not important. It was about the duty of the job," said Jackson. They reportedly got out 17 million pieces of mail in 90 days. It's a major part of history that went unrecognized until a recent Netflix movie. It stars Kerry Washington and was written, directed and produced by Tyler Perry. "At that time, when a lot of the women came back from war, there were still this taboo about being a female soldier, so a lot of family members didn't even know that their grandparents or moms had served in Six Triple Eight," Perry told Gayle King on CBS Mornings. The unit was disbanded in 1946. McNeil happily returned to Jeanette. She married officer John Crowell, who served as a cook during the war. He was from Jeannette as well. The family doesn't know how they met. Together, the couple's service continued in other ways. McNeil started a career in health care and became heavily involved in the Salvation Army and helped in various roles at the church. Her accomplishments went unspoken despite the various medals and a letter from President Truman thanking her for her service. The Women's Army Corp veteran died in 2008. She was buried beside her husband at Jeannette Memorial Cemetery. "When you have generational legacy and you get to pass something down, it's a complete honor, you know? Keep passing it down," Jackson said.
