It wasn't until June 12, 1948, that women were recognized as full members of the armed forces, according to Legion. President Truman signed the Women's Armed Services Integration Act, which meant women could finally claim the same benefits as men. It took until 2018 to recognize June 12 as Women Veterans Day. In my opinion, this should've been done a long time ago.

Unsplash - Museums Victoria
Unsplash - Museums Victoria
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Cedar Rapids is honoring the women of the military with an event that gives them a chance to shine. KCRG reports, that June 23 is the Women Veterans Day Dinner and Celebration. The event is being held by the Veterans Memorial Building & Commission as well as IowaWORKS and is located at the Veterans Memorial Building & Commission.

Thankfully over the years, the U.S military has taken giant leaps forward in providing a more diverse force, allowing more individuals the chance to become military members. According to Statista, women made up roughly 17% of the military personnel in 2019, which ranked 2nd in the world at that time.

Brandy Fix is a marine with plenty of stories to share. At this event, she will have the opportunity to share those stories with women who can relate. She has stories from her time in boot camp, her training, being an Iron Woman, and what it was like dating while being in the military, to name only a small few.

One of the things that stuck out to me when reading about this event is Brandy mentions being treated the exact same as everyone else while she was in the military. Man or women, it didn't matter. She told KCRG it's civilians she's received different treatment from.

Not just for myself, I’ve got a couple of female friends that are veterans as well. And they just go to park in a veteran parking spot, and somebody will make comments to them. You shouldn’t park there, unless it’s your father, or your husband’s with you. I think because we don’t look like we’re military...I think we’re sometimes overlooked as veterans.

How sad is that? We may all have our own idea of what a military member or veteran looks like in our heads but it might be time to expand our minds a little in 2022. Instead of picturing a guy with big muscles and 6'4, maybe we should start picturing something different. Maybe we should picture someone who's really brave? Someone who loves this country and wants to defend it. We could start picturing someone who wants to stand up for other people or someone who wants to be a leader and not a follower.

I love the idea of this event because it gives these women a chance to share their stories with other women who know what it's like to be in the military and what it's like to be a female veteran. To any female veterans who would like to attend, the event is free, and you can register at Event Brite.

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