Celebrating Women in the Armed Forces of the United States of America for Veteran's Day

Americans have long recognized and paid respect to the men who have served their country in the armed services, whether in times of peace or at those times when their lives have been placed in jeopardy in wars across the globe. We have created two special holidays to commemorate their service, Memorial Day at the end of May, to remember those who have died in service, and Veteran's Day, which was originally created to honor the end of World War 1 as Armistice Day. This memorial celebration has expanded through the past century to be a day to honor all men and women who have served in the armed forces of our country, whether in peace or war.

But it is only recently that we have begun to recognize the importance of the service of women in the Armed Forces. Women have been active in the armed forces since our very first war, The Revolutionary War for Independence. As the website, Women Soldiers in War and Peace states so vividly:

"History raves about the heroics of men in war...
but few instances are mentioned in which female courage was displayed.
Yet during every conflict, and the peaceful years between,
they too were there. "

104 women have died in Iraq since 2001

At the end of 2008, there were over 200,000 women in active duty in some branch of the Armed Forces of the United States. At the current time, over 220,000 women have served in the Middle East conflict since 2001, with over 600 of them having been wounded and 104 have died in Iraq, according to the Department of Defense Statistics.

Women are serving and dying alongside their male counterparts in the United States Armed Forces and this year many communities will be having special celebrations for Veterans Day that highlights the sacrifices of women veterans.

In my own Indianapolis, The Third Annual Hoosier Women Veterans Conference will be Saturday, October 31,2009, at the Indiana War Memorial in Indianapolis, Indiana. This event is being sponsored by the Indiana Department of Veteran Affairs and the program is free and open to the public. It will will from 9:00 to 3:00. While it is most likely to late to register for this event, you could check! Call Kris Bertrand at 317-232-3921 to get further information. Check your own local areas to see how the women of the military are being honored this Veteran's Day this site.

Education ideas for honoring women on Veterans Day

For all of us, we need to educate our young girls and boys on the history of the service of American women in our Armed Forces. Checking at the Women in War and Peace website is a great place to begin your study.

For younger students who might have friends or classmates with a mother serving somewhere in the Armed Forces, just increasing their awareness of how women are an important part of our defense teams in this country. There is ongoing debate in the military and our society about women in the military, including whether they should be serving in combat roles.

A good study for junior high or older students might to be have them do some research on women in the United States military, both historical and currently. Allow active debate about the topic to happen, before you, as parent or teacher, insert your own thoughts and opinions. You could even have a mini debate on the topic with students divided into teams. See which team presents the most compelling arguments on whether women should serve in active combat roles. Women face very specific challenges that their male counterparts do not and becoming informed is important for all of us.

For high school students, it would be appropriate to have them research how women are actually treated in the current military, including some of the horrendous violence acts being committed against female members of the United States Armed Forces by males in the Armed Forces. Use your judgment as to the maturity of your students to handle this material and information. Careful discussion would be key in this study.

While we certainly want to remember that November 11 is a day and time to celebrate the lives of all veterans of the United States Armed Forces, let's not forget the sacrifices and work of the women who have served so honorably and bravely.

Take a peek at the Women's Viet Nam War Memorial in Washington DC to see the nation's first women's war memorial. It's beautiful and powerful imagery displays the courage and valor of our women military members

Resources used:

Women in the military:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/worklife/10/16/challenge.women.military/index.html

Viet Nam Women's Memorial

Women in War and Peace

Women in Military Service for America website