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Military Women's Memorial: Wisconsin veterans stories kept alive
They've served our country since the Revolutionary War, and many don't even consider themselves veterans. Despite the fact that women are the fastest-growing group in the U.S. military, they still feel invisible. But there's a monument in Washington that's working to change that for veterans like Helene Brown of Waukesha.
MILWAUKEE - They've served our country since the Revolutionary War, and many don't even consider themselves veterans.
Despite the fact that women are the fastest-growing group in the U.S. military, they still feel invisible. But there's a monument in Washington that's working to change that for veterans like Helene Brown of Waukesha.
Stars and Stripes
What they're saying:
At 93 years old, Brown has stories to tell of her 17 years of service as an Army nurse that included an overseas combat deployment during Operation Desert Storm.
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"I met a lot of wonderful people, traveled to a lot of different places," she said.
On a Saturday morning in late May, Brown continued her travels with the Stars and Stripes Honor Flight, a national nonprofit that takes veterans to Washington to see the monuments that were made for them.
Ask anyone who's gone on this journey, and they'll tell you it's incredibly special, but this one – especially so.
"Something really exciting about today is we have eight women veterans," says Karyn Roelke, Stars and Stripes Honor Flight vice president of public relations. "We maybe get one or two women on a flight regularly, but rarely more than four, so to have eight together is wonderful for us."
All served during the Vietnam era, including Navy WAVE Barbara Brewer.
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"We all tried to do what we could do to help our country because we love our country," said Brewer.
Margaret Stainbrook was a specialist, E-4.
"It was a different time, especially for females, there wasn't as many back then," she said.
Air Force Sgt. Jean Jahnke recalls feeling especially out-of-place.
"They didn't know what to do with me because I was assigned to a tactical unit and at that time women weren't allowed to go to war in a tactical unit," she said.
While so much has changed when it comes to opportunities for women in the military, some things have stayed the same.
"What we all have found is people still find us invisible," said Jahnke.
"Sometimes they just ignore you," added Air Force veteran Joyce Hinojosa. "I've gone to the VA hospital for flu shots, and they tell me to put my husband's social security number on the forms."
Military Women's Memorial
Big picture view:
The Stars and Stripes Honor Flight hopes the forgotten feeling ends with this special mission. The day-long, round-trip, whirlwind adventure includes all the usual Honor Flight fanfare and stops. But this group is also going somewhere that sees a little less foot traffic, but is every bit as important.
The Military Women's Memorial is the only memorial in the nation strictly honoring women who have served. Of our country's 3 million female veterans, only 330,000 are registered there, which means 2.7 million patriots are still missing.
A special ceremony orchestrated by the Honor Flight will add eight more, each presented with a special certificate.
"I have gotten very emotional over this," said Jahnke. "I didn't expect to get this emotional, it's a sense of appreciation."
"I'm going to put it on my wall as soon as I get home," added Stainbrook. "It just means the world to me."
Treasured trailblazer
Local perspective:
Perhaps given her age and her depth of service, Brown is a treasured member of this group of trailblazers. The last time she was here was for the memorial's opening in 1997. She’s an avid supporter of the memorial’s effort to keep female veteran stories alive.
"When you hear stories about veterans, it's primarily about men – men took this hill, men saved this village – but they forget that behind those men veterans, there are women doing other jobs so they can be out there to do those jobs," said Brown.
She is living proof that just because you may be outnumbered, doesn't mean you don't count.
"You're a contributing individual to society, and it should be known that you are," she said.
How to get involved
What you can do:
If you know a female veteran you would like to register at the Military Women's Memorial, visit the memorial's website to create an account and submit information.
The Stars and Stripes Honor Flight is accepting applications from veterans who served in June 1975 or earlier. Information on how to do so can be found on the organization's website.
The Source: FOX6 spoke with the women who were a part of the Stars and Stripes Honor Flight to produce this story.