Women Veterans; America's Forgotten Heroines

Ewing Galloway (Photographer) New York, N.Y. Continuum Publishing Company, 1983. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Hardcover. xiii, [1], 252, [10] pages. Includes Foreword by Senator Alan Cranston, Preface, Notes, Recommended Reading, and Index. Part I covers Women and War, and Historical Background; Part II covers World War II Women, and Women in the Military After World War II; Part III covers What Happened to them--Women Veterans as Viewed by the Public and Private Sectors, and Veterans' Benefits for Women Veterans; and Part IV covers Where They are Today--Women Veterans in Organizations, and Current Situation and New Policy Initiatives. Discusses the place of women in the American armed forces and examines the impact of military service on the lives and careers of female veterans. This book offers a realistic and often unpretty picture of a less-than-stellar chapter in America's treatment of its female service personnel. June Adele Willenz (née Friedenberg; December 17, 1924 – May 3, 2020) was an military veterans advocate, Executive Director of the American Veterans Committee, and author of Women Veterans: America's Forgotten Heroines. Willenz also initiated the effort to build the Women in Military Service for America Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery. ''Women Veterans: America's Forgotten Heroines, documented the lives of several women who had served in the military and the impact it had on their lives. It called attention to the inequality between men's and women's benefits, and the neglect of women veterans. Largely in response to the book, Congress held its first hearings on women veterans and the Veterans Administration established a Women Veterans Advisory Committee. She developed the first legal aid project for veterans with discharge-related problems. As a result of her advocacy, thousands of Vietnam War veterans eventually had their discharges upgraded to "general" or "honorable" status. Willenz was the first woman to head the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Task Force on Military/Veterans Affairs, and the first to chair a Presidential Subcommittee on Disabled Veterans. She was cited for "outstanding leadership" of the Subcommittee. She organized a conference on the Draft, which encouraged national debate and influenced policy direction. Willenz also advocated for the rights and recognition of women veterans. Willenz also initiated efforts to create a national memorial to women veterans. Her work in the AVC eventually led to the building of the Women in Military Service for America Memorial. Derived from a Kirkus review: Willenz addresses how American servicewomen have been ignored. There is then a brief reprise of women's military role from the Revolution to Reagan, followed, for the largest portion of the book, by profiles of vets. Whether from WW II or later, they attest to the benefits of service--a broader outlook, more social consciousness, more self-confidence. They recount how they used their veterans' benefits. Willenz, executive director of the AVC, does have some particulars on inequalities in the administration of veterans' programs. Condition: Very good / Very good.

Keywords: Women Veterans, Women Service Personnel, Jacqueline Cochran, GI Bill, Veterans Administration, Health Care, Veteran's Benefits, WAC, WASP, Ewing Galloway

ISBN: 0826402410

[Book #81738]

Price: $65.00

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