JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – On Friday, AARP brought together military women for a day of learning and collaboration with “A Tribute to America’s Servicewomen.”
Dozens of servicewomen gathered for discussion panels, guest speakers and a special presentation.
“We want to make sure that the women veterans are getting all the benefits that they need,” Navy veteran Tina Caston said.
Jill Auld, the AARP Jacksonville and Northeast Florida Associate State Director of Outreach and Engagement, helped set up the event with the help of several volunteers.
“It’s so empowering to have so many women in the same room,” Auld said. “I want to point out that we have a combination of active duty and veterans here today with us, which is wonderful to have them all connecting and sharing their experiences and inspiring each other.”
And while much of the event was about bringing women in the miltary together, organizers said it’s also about remembering those who served before them. That’s because as the Military Women’s Memorial said, “Without HERstory history is incomplete.”
That’s why the Military Women’s Memorial brought its “Color of Freedom” display, a mobile memorial that showcases stories of women who stepped into the line of duty and made their mark.
“Our mission is to go out and promote the memorial to tell her stories and encourage women to register their service,” Rita Broadway said.
Broadway joined the Army in 1976.
“Pictures speak 1,000 words,” she said, looking at the wall
Broadway said she spends her retirement sharing the stories of both the women before her but also those after.
“It’s a contribution to say that ‘Yes, we’re here,’” she said. “We sometimes don’t want to be treated special. We want to be collectively as part of the U.S. military, but it’s important to recognize the barriers that women had and really had to break those down to be able to serve.”
Dozens of “firsts” are on the memorial wall. It’s a display that travels from city to city across the country. It features pictures of women who served and short stories about their time in the military.
Broadway said there are countless more stories out there waiting to be told.
“It’s important that they do that and we document it so that there is a legacy of how we got to where we are today and some of the challenges that women may still have in serving,” Broadway said.
Organizers said the memorial will be on display at the Jacksonville Public Library downtown starting Monday.
They said it will be there through mid-October.
AARP offers some free resources for veterans at www.aarp.org/lp/veteran-resources/ . You do not need to be a member to use them.
AARP also hosts webinars on topics it feels are important for veterans.
A full calendar for the remainder of 2024 can be found HERE.