Women's History Month with 'Trailblazers' campaign

VA's Center for Women Veterans kicks off Women's History Month with 'Trailblazers' campaign

WASHINGTON — Today the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced that it will celebrate the start of Women’s History Month in March with a kickoff event on March 6, from 2-4 p.m. at the Women in Military Service for America (WIMSA) Memorial in Arlington, Virginia.

Sponsored by VA’s Center for Women’s Veterans, the event will feature 15 women Veterans representing all branches of military service in a 2019 campaign titled “Trailblazers: Women Breaking Barriers,” celebrating the contributions of women Veterans in honor of Women’s History Month and continuing through the rest of the year.

"Women Veterans are one of the fastest growing demographics within VA, and will represent nearly 20 percent of the U.S. Veteran population by 2045,” said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. “VA is proud to serve all our nation’s Veterans, and the Center for Women Veterans does a great job reminding all Americans of the strong service and sacrifice of women Veterans through these innovative campaigns.”

The following women will be featured in the Trailblazers campaign:

Robinann Alex, U.S. Navy; Pappilion, Nebraska
Cathy Bennett-Santos, U.S. Army; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Patricia Collins, U.S. Army; Alexandria, Virginia
Diana Danis, U.S. Army; Bloomington, Nebraska
Kyleanne Hunter, U.S. Marine Corps, Leesburg, Virginia
Michele Jones, U.S. Army; Jacksonville, Florida
Judy Keene, U.S. Coast Guard; Washington, D.C.
Ginger Miller, U.S. Navy; Accokeek, Maryland
Tonja Myles, U S. Army; Zachary, Louisiana
Amanda Plante, U.S. Navy; Santee, California
Linda Singh, Army National Guard; Bowie, Maryland
Cassie Strom, U.S. Air Force; St. Louis, Missouri
Wilma Vaught, U.S. Air Force; Falls Church, Virginia
Melissa Washington, U.S. Navy; Lincoln, California
Tanya Whitney, U.S. Army; Sorrento, Louisiana

The campaign will provide a platform for the featured women to share stories about their military service and how their unique experiences in uniform led to their continued roles as leaders and advocates in their communities.

The event is open to the public. Please RSVP to join VA in celebrating these women Veteran Trailblazers. Registration deadline for the event is March 5.

Participants and invitees are invited to explore WIMSA’s exhibits and learn more about women’s service in the military by visiting www.womensmemorial.org.

For more information about the Center for Women Veterans and the Trailblazers Initiative, visit www.va.gov/womenvet or contact Alohalani Bullock-Jones at 00w@va.gov.

The Trailblazers campaign is sponsored in part by Veteran Canteen Services, whose mission includes emphasizing the importance of service to Veterans and supporting VA’s overall mission. For more information about VCS, visit www.vacanteen.va.gov or www.shopvcs.com.

You have the power to climb out of the valley and #TakeBackYourLife

This is a video I did last year.

The most famous women you never knew

The most famous women you never knew
Combat PTSD Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
March 18, 2018

The title is a running joke in Point Man, since that is the way I usually get introduced.  Lots of people have heard of my work, my site but most cannot remember my name or even why they know me.

Putting this video together made me very proud to be a woman but ashamed I never knew about some of these women.

Sure, you heard about Paul Revere getting on his horse to warm about the British coming.

Paul Revere did not gain immediate fame for his April 1775"Midnight Ride." In fact, it wasn't until Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's 1861 poem, which greatly embellished Revere's role, that he became the folk hero we think of today.

But did you know Sybil Ludington also made a ride at the age of 16? Wonder how much fame she would have gotten if Longfellow paid her attention too?

On the night of April 26, 1777, Colonel Henry Ludington, father of 12, veteran of the French-Indian War, and commander of the militia in Duchess County, New York, (just across the state line from Danbury, Connecticut) received a messenger to his house. The British had entered Danbury and found some American military stores, stolen some, destroyed others and drank the whiskey. Drunk, they began ransacking the town, burning and looting.

His daughter got on her horse and rode for 40 miles.

You heard a lot about the men fighting for our freedom but did you know about these women?
Deborah Sampson, Nancy Morgan Hart or Margaret Corbin?

You heard a lot about heroic men with the Medal of Honor but did you know Dr. Mary Edwards Walker received one too? Actually, technically it was twice because Congress officially took it away from her, but she refused to return it. In 1977, she officially received it back, but she died in 1919. 

Those are just some of the women in this video. I hope you learn something watching it, because I learned a lot doing it.