Women Veterans 'It Was Just The Thing To Do'

6 Women Veterans Recall Their Military Service: 'It Was Just The Thing To Do'

NPR

Isabel Dobrin

Jennifer Kerrigan

November 11, 2017

"I went home that night, and my mom had life insurance policies for all the kids ... and I told her I needed the number for my life insurance policy, and she said 'What in the world do you need that for?' and I said, 'I joined the Navy today,' and she flipped. But it was the best thing I did, joining the Navy." Helen Sadowski, US Navy

There are more than 21 million military veterans in the country, according to a 2016 report from the Department of Veterans Affairs. About 2 million of those are women.

In commemoration of Veterans Day, NPR spoke with six women veterans living at the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Washington, D.C., to find out what their service means to them. 

Here are their stories.