March is Women’s History Month. For VFW, it is a good time to reflect on the women vets who paved the way for those who followed.
Some 200,000 people annually visit the Women’s Military Memorial near the gates of Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. The memorial — originally known as the Women in Military Service for America Memorial — was founded by retired U.S. Air Force Brigadier General Wilma L. Vaught, a Life member of VFW Post 341 in Washington, D.C.
A true trailblazer for women vets, Vaught was one of the most-decorated military women in U.S. history at the time of her retirement in August 1985.
A Vietnam War vet, Vaught was the first woman to deploy with a Strategic Air Command bombardment wing on an operational deployment in 1966-1967.
While Vaught is now president emeritus of the memorial, the Women’s Military Memorial President is Phyllis Wilson. She served 37 years in the Army as a Military Intelligence Voice Intercept Operator. She served in Iraq on multiple deployments as a special operations intelligence analyst.
A Life member of VFW Post 6683 in Arlington, Virginia, retired Chief Warrant Officer Five Wilson served as the most senior warrant officer in the United States Army Reserve.
Speaking at VFW’s 126th National Convention in Columbus, Ohio, last summer, Wilson encouraged women service members to become a part of history now. The memorial houses HerStory, a national database on which 330,000 profiles, including that of VFW Commander-in-Chief Carol Whitmore, reside.
Wilson further added that VFW Posts can advertise HerStory in communities to reach all women vets.
“The Military Women’s Memorial honors and tells the stories of the more than 3 million women who served, all the way back to the Revolutionary War,” Wilson said.
To learn more about HerStory, visit https://womensmemorial.org/make-herstory.
DEDICATION, COURAGE AND STRENGTH PAVED THE WAY
Making history herself as the first woman to lead the VFW, Chief Whitmore refers to those who served in Vietnam as her “personal heroes,” to include some 7,500 women serving in country. Eighty-five percent of the women were nurses in the Army, Navy and Air Force. Between 1962 and 1973, about 1,300 members of the Women’s Army Corps served in Vietnam.
In total, more than 250,000 women served the U.S. during the war: thousands were stationed in Japan, Guam, Hawaii, the Philippines or at stateside hospitals. Many Navy women served off coast on the USS Repose and the USS Sanctuary.
Nursing the sick, wounded and dying GIs in Vietnam was very different than in the earlier wars. Formally established front lines were absent, creating many problems.
In her book “American Daughter Gone to War,” former Army nurse Winnie Smith recounts the smell of phosphorous burning through layer upon layer of flesh and the sight of blood pulsating from a young soldier’s chest after being hit by shrapnel. And she remembers the dying. In one instance, she actually recalls a sense of relief following a death.
“The doors bang open again,” she wrote. “Despair clutches at my throat. We can’t handle any more. I see Luke there alone. The last burn [victim] must have bitten the dust. I realize I’m grateful he’s dead. I’ve traded my soul for one less soldier to worry about.”
To recognize Smith and the thousands like her, the Vietnam Women’s Memorial was dedicated in 1993 in Washington, D.C., just steps from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. It depicts three women caring for a fallen soldier. Eight yellowwood trees surround the sculpture in honor of the eight servicewomen who gave their lives in Vietnam.
These women’s names also are among the more than 58,000 names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
“I stand on the shoulders of the many women who served before me, such as those in the Vietnam War — those whose dedication, courage, and strength paved the way for me,” Whitmore said. “It is a profound honor to serve as the first female commander of our veterans organization. This milestone is not just a personal achievement, but a testament to the progress and inclusivity of our veteran community.”
This article is featured in the 2026 March/April VFW magazine, and was written by Janie Dyhouse, senior editor for VFW magazine.