It was 1954 when President Dwight Eisenhower signed the bill that formally introduced Veterans Day to the American public. Servicemen throughout the country have since been honored, at least once a year, for their sacrifice and service to their nation.
However, there is a subset of veterans that didn't garner national celebration until 2018.
Women veterans.
"These women deserve to be recognized and be proud. Be proud of their service, be proud of what they've done, regardless of whether they were in two years, four years, or 20 years. You served your country and you deserve to be recognized and celebrated," commented retired Air National Guard member and VFW Post 4061 Quartermaster Wendy Worrell.
Although Colorado as a state doesn't yet recognize or formally celebrate women veterans, Worrell and other veterans are working to right that great wrong by organizing Fremont County's first-ever Women's Veterans Day celebration.
The event will take place from 4-8 p.m. on June 12 at the Cañon City VFW Post 4061, located at 215 N. Cottonwood, and will be a fun afternoon of games, prizes, food and networking.
Women's Veterans Day is commemorated every June 12 to celebrate the signing of the Women's Armed Services Integration Act signing in 1948 -- which enabled women to serve as permanent, regular members of all branches of the Armed Forces. Worrell hopes that female veterans from all over Fremont County will join in on the celebration because, at the heart of it, a woman's experience within the military may be different than a man's and that deserves to be appreciated.
"I'm thankful for that [passing of the Women's Armed Services Integration Act] because I worked on F-16's, so if that had never come about, I wouldn't have joined the military. I wouldn't have wanted to be a nurse -- I can't stand blood," Worrell said with humor.
Planning for the event began in April when Worrell began approaching various sponsors or organizations to donate to the celebration and the community certainly came through.
Gift cards and other prizes from all over the county will be given away as door prizes and guests will be treated to a delectable charcuterie board throughout the evening.
Although Worrell plans to have a small ceremony at the beginning of the event, the true hope is that women from a myriad of backgrounds and branches will converge to celebrate one another.
"I don't care if we have 20 people or 50 people, I want to know their name, what branch they were in, where they served and what they did. It will just be a good time getting to know each other," Worrell said.
Worrell and other female veterans plan to visit the Bruce McCandless Veterans Community Living Center before the ceremony, if only to acknowledge them and engage in a little conversation, woman to woman.
The event itself will feature a plethora of veteran resource information, much of which will come from Fremont County Veteran Service Officers Marty Peek and Tricia Hill who will both be in attendance.
For those interested in potentially sponsoring or donating to the event, contact Worrell at wendyworrell14@gmail.com.
The following organizations have already sponsored and/or donated to the event but more are always welcome to make these female veterans feel loved and truly appreciated: DARE Printing, City Market, Dollar Tree, Ret Dezynes, Chrysalis, House of Exotics, The Lucky Shop, Aspen Meadows Soaps & Bath, and Ivory Peacock Studio.
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