Hello friends~
We’re spending this holiday weekend indoors – at the Jersey Shore it’s crazy rainy and cold for the kickoff of the summer season – and without the usual Memorial Day plans for all-day beach activities, it’s allowing me time to to reflect on what this holiday truly represents. Memorial Day always brings up a complex mix of memories and histories for me.
Growing up, my view of the armed forces was shaped by a blend of cinema and vivid reality. I envision the movies I watched as a child: The Bridge on the River Kwai and The Dirty Dozen, and later, the cynical humor of M*A*S*H, or Goldie Hawn’s comedic role in Private Benjamin. Whether these films depicted the horrors, the glorification, or the comedic absurdities of war, one thing was always clear to me: I wanted no part of it.
My perspective was also informed by own history. My father often told us kids stories about his B-17 being shot down midair, his subsequent capture, and his grueling experience in a prisoner-of-war camp during World War II. He shared the details matter-of- factly, even with humor, concealing his later diagnosed PTSD. Then came my own formative years during the Vietnam War.
Those two eras shaped two different understandings of conflict for me: the heroism of the Greatest Generation, contrasted against the devastating, unnecessary loss of life in Southeast Asia. While I protested the Vietnam War, I always felt a deep, aching compassion for the soldiers who were so terribly disrespected upon returning home. Years later, shortly after the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was installed in Washington, D.C., I remember walking past the wall of names and stopping to thank a legless veteran in a wheelchair. He was so incredibly grateful just to be shown respect. It was heartbreaking, and it stayed with me.
Today, on Memorial Day, my thoughts are turning specifically toward the women who gave their lives for our nation – women whose stories are rarely told.
The Invisible Front Lines
We don’t think of logistics, nursing, or transport as the “front lines” in combat, but history tells the story: Foundation for Women Warriors #HonorHerService
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World War I: Nearly 400 women served as military nurses and lost their lives during the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918. They contracted the deadly illness on the job, giving their lives while treating sick and dying soldiers.
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World War II: Approximately 400,000 American women stepped up to serve. Nearly 600 of them died in war-related incidents, including those killed by enemy fire and the brave Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) who died.
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The Unrecorded: Beyond the official data, countless women’s contributions were never recorded at all. These women served in unofficial civilian roles, put themselves at risk as spies, or even disguised themselves as men just to be allowed to fight and die for what they believed in.
- The Hidden Toll of Vietnam: During the Vietnam War, roughly 11,000 American women were deployed into active conflict zones. Members of the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) and the Women in the Air Force (WAF) worked in high-stakes intelligence, decoding critical messages, and handling air traffic control. Administrative personnel kept the entire military machinery running. Because of the nature of guerrilla warfare, these women were constantly exposed to the threat of rocket attacks, tropical diseases, and the profound psychological weight of treating horrific combat injuries. These women belong to a generation just a few years older than I am now, ranging in age from their mid-70s to their 90s. It is no surprise that many of them returned home carrying the wounds of PTSD – a result of the trauma of medical triage, exposure to systemic sexual harassment, and the intense pressure of operating within a rigid, male-dominated military culture. To make matters worse, returning female service members lacked a clear support network and were routinely excluded from traditional veterans’ organizations. They bore the weight, but were denied the recognition.
Holding the Line for Peace and Respect
I am always going to advocate against military conflict. War is hell. It tears apart families, communities, and the human spirit.
But today, I choose to take a deep breath, look at the history, and honor the immense courage, sacrifice, and dedication of the women and men who believed their service could make a difference. Not to mention the training required to serve bravely in armed services.
We can honor women in service by knowing the truth of what they carried, and still carry.
x
Polli
