WASHINGTON D.C. (KGTV) — Five San Diego women veterans visited the Military Women's Memorial in Washington, D.C., this past weekend as part of an Honor Flight San Diego trip.
The five women left with their names permanently added to the national record.
Most of the women served as either nurses or communications officers in the Navy or Army, and the visit brought the women back to their years of service.
The Military Women's Memorial sits just outside Arlington National Cemetery. Its sweeping arc serves as a hall of honor inside, lined with photographs, artifacts, and regalia of women who served before, during, and after the current generation.
According to the memorial's website, it is the only major national memorial dedicated to all women who have served in the U.S. military. Yet its database contains records of fewer than 10% of the estimated 3 million women who have served since the American Revolution.
Because of that underrepresented history, Honor Flight San Diego prepared a special surprise — presenting the women with certificates highlighting their service, displaying their headshots, and inducting them into the memorial's database.
Retired Navy nurse and Captain Barbara Anderson made her way through the memorial, taking in photographs and the stories of women who came before her.
"It was just inspiring seeing women who went where no one had gone before us fearlessly," Anderson said. "It made me proud to have been in the military."
Retired Navy nurse DJ LaVoie wore her light blue garrison cap to honor the six years she served in Guam, tending to wounded air evacuees from Vietnam.
"It makes you feel very proud to be part of an organization like Women," LaVoie said. "I just wanted to show that I was proud of being a Navy nurse, and I was proud to take care of our service people and their families."
At one Navy exhibit, Diana Dorsha spotted a familiar uniform — one like what she had worn.
"We had light blues, whites, and dark blues, depending on the weather, and then I also had dungarees, like men. We had a pair of blue pants and a light chambray shirt, and we wore boondockers because they were comfortable to walk in, and I had a pair of heels for my dress uniform. It brings back a lot of wonderful memories," Dorsha said.
Dorsha held a black-and-white photo from when she met her husband and when she decided her time serving as a radioman deciphering Morse code was behind her.
"And then I met him and made more memories," Dorsha said.
Army and Air Force Nurse veteran Birdie Ward reflected on seeing her headshot from her early 20s on her certificate.
Navy veteran Shirley Ferrill also attended the Honor Flight trip to the Military Women's Memorial.
Ferrill worked in telecommunications in San Francisco during the Korean War era. She said she received messages on tape and either transmitted them to the ship's relay centers or relayed them to civilian stations.
Ferrill said being inducted into the database carried deep meaning.
"It was an experience that I'll probably never forget," Ferrill said. "It means a legacy that we've left for somebody to follow, and I feel that I may have made a difference at that time."
Holly Shaffner, a retired Coast Guard Lieutenant Commander and Honor Flight San Diego's Director of Public Relations, said the impact of these women's service continues to be felt today.
"What inspires me are the amazing women who raised their right hand and took an oath when their country needed them. Women like me stand on the shoulders of those courageous women who came before us. They opened the doors for us to serve all over the world in combat and in any job that we wanted. I will never forget the grit and determination to get us where we are today," Shaffner said.
