Memorial salutes women who served

At the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery is the graceful, inspiring tribute dedicated in 1997.

By WALTER ROESSING

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 28, 2000

[Photo: Walter Roessing] The only memorial to honor the nearly 2-million women who have served in U.S. military forces stands at the ceremonial entrance to Arlington National Cemetery. On the hill, in the background, is Arlington House, Robert E. Lee’s home before the Civil War.

Walking just ahead of me up the pathway to the Arlington National Cemetery was a family of four. Suddenly, the middle-aged woman stopped just outside the grand entrance to the cemetery and snapped off a smart salute.

Then, with tears in her eyes, she pointed to the 30-foot-high semicircular wall at the main gate. Turning to her two teenage daughters, she said with emotion, "That's my memorial."

We were all standing just outside the noble Women In Military Service for America Memorial. So I understood that this mother was among the nearly 2-million women who have served in the nation's armed services.

Many more male and female veterans and their families will be gathering at the Arlington site Monday,, which is Memorial Day.

The Women's Military Memorial, which occupies the 4.2-acre ceremonial entrance to Arlington National, was dedicated on Oct. 18, 1997, and officially opened to the public two days later.

Among the speakers at the dedication ceremony -- attended by an estimated 30,000 veterans and families -- were Vice President Al Gore and Brigadier Gen. Wilma Vaught. Gen. Vaught, who retired from the Air Force in 1985 after 28 years' service, told the assembled that it was important for the women to be honored because "they are so proud -- and yet have not been recognized."

Indeed, until the memorial's dedication, many of the country's servicewomen called themselves "America's Best Kept Military Secret."

They pointed to the Marine Corps' TV commercials that profess to "seek a few good men." They pointed to the fact that history books failed to tell how an estimated 1.8-million women have also "fought" for liberty since the Revolutionary War. They pointed out how little recognition was given to women's veteran organizations, of which there are 22.

However, since the opening of their Living Memorial, the nation's female veterans are receiving the recognition they deserve.

The memorial has been erected directly behind the original granite, half-circle ceremonial gateway to the cemetery, which was dedicated in 1932 but not completed until 1997.

Standing 30 feet high and 250 feet in diameter, the 33,000-square-foot Living Memorial is distinctive. Its roof is an arc of glass tablets inscribed with quotations by and about women who have served in defense of their country. The tablets are lit to illuminate the cemetery hillside at night. During the day, the tablets serve as skylights to the memorial's education center, which houses a Hall of Honor, exhibit gallery, artifacts, 196-seat theater and its high-tech Register.

The Register's computerized data base is the memorial's "living heart." Visitors can access the military histories, photographs and individual stories of veterans by simply typing names into a computer terminal.

For example, I got the following information when I typed the following names:

• Margaret Corbin, known as "Captain Molly," was the first American woman to receive a military pension. During the American Revolution, when her husband was killed defending Fort Washington, "Captain Molly" took over his post and was wounded. She is buried at West Point.
• Deborah Sampson disguised herself as a man to join the Massachusetts Regiment in the Revolutionary War. She was wounded in combat three times before a doctor discovered her secret.
• Dr. Mary Edwards Walker was the first and only woman to receive the Medal of Honor. During the Civil War, she moved between Union and Confederate lines to treat sick and wounded soldiers. She also carried dispatches across enemy lines to the Union Army until captured by the Confederates in 1864 and placed in a military prison.

I climbed one of the four staircases passing through the semicircular wall, to an upper terrace (elevators are available). The view is a stunning panorama of the District, including the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument, across the Potomac River.

-- Walter Roessing is a freelance writer living in Walnut Creek, Calif.

If you go

The Cemetery is open every day except Christmas. It can be reached via the Washington Metro (subway) Blue Line to Arlington Station, or by driving to the Visitors Center, where parking is available. for more information, contact the Cemetery office at 5510 Columbia Pike, No. 302, Arlington, VA 22204; call (800) 222-2294.

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