We Salute This Month's Celebrations

Several special military birthdays and anniversaries are feted in October. This month, the Women's Memorial Foundation salutes the:

    Nov 6: Legislation was signed by President Ronald Reagan that authorized the creation of the Women In Military Service For America Memorial in the nation's capital or its environs, on this date in 1986.
     Nov 10: US Marine Corps was established in 1775. The first 305 women to officially serve in the Marine Corps joined during World War I as Women Reservists. Women were called again to serve in World War II when nearly 20,000 women wore the Eagle, Globe, & Anchor. Today, more than 11,000 women serve on active duty and nearly 2,000 serve in the Marine Corps Reserve. Read about two women Marine Corps veterans, a mother and daughter, in a Women's Memorial Oral History feature, "Rites of Passage: Two Generations of the Eagle, Globe and Anchor."
     Nov 11: The armistice of World War I began on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918, and a national holiday, Armistice Day, was created in 1919 to commemorate the end of the war and honor all its veterans. In 1975, the name was changed to Veterans Day to honor all American veterans. The Women's Memorial is part of each year's Veterans Day celebration; this year's ceremony begins at 3 PM. Visit the Memorial's Events Page for more information.
     Nov 23: US Coast Guard Women's Reserve (SPARs), the Coast Guard's women's component, was established on this date in 1942. The SPARs were organized by Dorothy C. Stratton, director of the Women's Reserve of the Coast Guard, a charter member of the Women's Memorial. (Read her story on our Web site.) Today, nearly 5,000 women serve in the US Coast Guard and more than 1,000 serve in the Coast Guard Reserve.
     Nov. 27: Thanksgiving Day

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(November 2008)