We salute the men and women who've served in the military to protect our country, but how can we show our gratitude?
You can visit a military cemetery or a war memorial, you can visit a military hospital, or you can volunteer for a nonprofit that sends cards or other items to current military personnel.
However, there is something else you can do. You can read about veterans, either nonfiction accounts or fictional stories to better understand the military experience.
I highly recommend THE WOMEN by Kristin Hannah. Published in February 2024 (but I read it earlier this year), this historical work of fiction tells the story of a young woman from San Diego who served as a nurse in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Her brother did not survive the war, but she did. Her father had been so embarrassed about her going to war that he lied and told people she went to Florence, Italy instead. When she came home from the war, she suffered from PTSD, and no one at the Veterans Administration believed that she had suffered - and continued to suffer from her trauma - and yet she experienced as much trauma as the men who saw battle.
The book was incredibly well written, the story was so well researched, and upon finishing it, the characters remained with me for a long time. And after finishing the book, I conducted my own research about the impact of American women who served in Vietnam and learned that there is a Vietnam Women's Memorial in Washington, D.C.
"The Vietnam Women's Memorial was dedicated on the National Mall just yards from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, The Wall, on November 11, 1993, in Washington, D.C. One may think that the approval, placement, and financing of a statue for such a just cause would be a relatively simple process – after all, this was the first memorial on the Mall of our nation's Capital to honor the military service of women. To the contrary, the process was long and arduous and included two separate pieces of Congressional legislation and approval of three federal commissions. The dedication of the Vietnam Women's Memorial (VWM) represented the culmination of a 10-year struggle by thousands of volunteers who overcame controversy, rejection, and challenge by those who thought that a women's memorial was not needed."
The website explanation continued, "Vietnam Veterans were not welcomed home as the country desperately tried to put the war behind it. Before founding of the Vietnam Women's Memorial Project, little was known of the heroism of American women. Yet over 265,000 military and civilian women served beside their brother soldiers. Approximately 10,000 American military women were stationed in Vietnam during the war. Ninety percent were nurses. Others served as physicians, physical therapists, and personnel in the medical field, air traffic control, military intelligence, administration, and in many other capacities. Civilian women also served in Vietnam as news correspondents and workers for the Red Cross, the USO, Special Services, the American Friends Service Committee, Catholic Relief Services, and other humanitarian organizations.
Many of these women were wounded or killed in the crossfire. The Vietnam Women's Memorial Project gave these women veterans a voice by highlighting their stories and educating the public. It has helped to tell their story through the mass print and electronic media as well as in schoolrooms and universities, and at conferences, seminars and conventions. As more and more Vietnam women read and heard of their sisters' service, they came forward with their own experiences. Many of these women had never before shared their personal experiences with others – the pain was too deep. Now, through their poems, songs, and stories, the healing of women veterans has begun. Silent no more, women veterans have a special role in discussions surrounding a call to arms, the role of women in the military, and veterans benefits. Their insights into war make their contributions in peacetime as invaluable as their heroism in Vietnam."
Glenna Goodacre, the sculptor of the Vietnam Women's Memorial, explained, "My desire to create a lasting tribute to the American women serving in Vietnam is founded upon my deep respect for each of them, and my heartfelt payer for their healing and hope. I have been humbled by the enormity of such a task yet incredibly honored by the overwhelming gratitude of the veterans. The emphasis of this tribute is centered on their emotions: their compassion, their anxiety, their fatigue, and above all, their dedication.
My first concern in designing this sculpture was to arrange the four figures in a composition that is interesting from all angles: a true sculpture in the round. The photos from Vietnam often included stacks of sandbags. It seemed natural for a nurse – in a moment of crisis – to be supported by sandbags as she serves as the life support for a wounded soldier lying across her lap. The standing woman looks up, in search of a med-i-vac helicopter or, perhaps, in search of help from God. The kneeling figure has been called "the heart and soul" of the piece because so many vets see themselves in her. She stares at any empty helmet, her posture reflecting her despair, frustrations, and all the horrors of war. The soldier's face is half-covered by a bandage, creating an anonymous figure with which veterans can identify. Even though he is wounded, he will live. I want this to be a monument for the living."
Let's celebrate all Veterans, men and women, with gratitude.
SHARE THIS: Kristin Hannah's THE WOMEN is a beautifully written tribute to a group of veterans who deserve more appreciation for the incredible sacrifices they made. ~Bill Gates #VeteransDay #DebbieLaskeysBlog
SHARE THIS: One of the things I love about historical fiction is its ability to illuminate the modern world. Now, more than ever, we need to find a way to come together and have civil, informed conversations. ~Kristin Hannah #DebbieLaskeysBlog
Image Credit: National Park Service/Vietnam Women's Memorial.
Check out this Q&A with Kristin Hannah, author of THE WOMEN:
https://kristinhannah.com/books/the-women/author-qa/
Check out the websites for the Vietnam Women's Memorial:
https://vietnamwomensmemorial.org/
and
https://www.nps.gov/places/000/vietnam-womens-memorial.htm
Read the Message from the Founder of the Vietnam Women's Memorial Foundation:
https://vietnamwomensmemorial.org/message-from-the-founder/
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