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Saluting women veterans
She said "You wrote there were about 50 men there," and that's when I cringed, for I immidiately knew what I'd done and why she was calling. For the veterans at that lunch were not just men. That esteemed group also included women, and by my choice, or lack of choice in words in that story, I'd left out those women attending. I'm glad she was so nice about it, but I'm also glad she called so I could do what I can to rectify the oversight. According to the Veterans Administration, there are 31,678 women veterans in Alabama alone. In the report,"Women Veterans: Past, Present and Future" Robert E. Klein wrote the following: "Margaret Corbin and Mary McCauley, who was a heroine in the Battle of Monmouth in 1778 and thought to be the model for the legendary Molly Pitcher, fought in the Battle of Fort Washington in 1776 (Holm, pp.3-4). Later during the Civil War, at least 400 women on both sides of the conflict disguised themselves as men and assumed combat roles alongside men." Klein goes on to report that 350,000 women served in various capacities in the armed forces during World War II, 48,700 served during the Korean Conflict, nearly 7,000 served in southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. By 2004, more than 212,000 women were serving in active duty in our armed forces. Their contributions are countless and immeasurable. So to the women veterans, I offer my apologies and heartfelt thanks for your service.
I hope everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving. I have a lot to be thankful for, but that's a column I'll be writing later this year.
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