Women Veterans of the Ark-La-Tex Memorial
By: Sandra Franks
Louisiana is one of the few states in the United States that has a monument specifically dedicated to women warriors. It is in Bossier City, Louisiana, and was funded and erected by the Women Veterans of the Ark- La-Tex, the largest women veterans organization in the state. Although the Women Veterans of the Ark-La-Tex is a local organization, this statue belongs to all women veterans.
Women veterans deserve recognition for their service and sacrifices to preserve our freedoms and the defense of our country. The number of women serving in the United States military has increased over the years and, according to the Pentagon, there are currently just over 214,000 women serving in the U.S. military which represents about 15% of the total force. In 2016, there were approximately 2.1 million women veterans.
If you are a woman veteran or know a woman veteran this information is imperative to, stay informed concerning the benefits and services you/she has earned by her service.
- The Department of Veterans Affairs – va.gov
- The Department of Veterans Affairs, Center for Women Veterans https://www.va.gov/womenvet/
- Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs – vetaffairs.la.gov
All of these sites offer a free subscription option to receive current information by email and are chocked full of awesome information.
- Military Women’s Memorial, Arlington Cemetery, Virginia – https://womensmemorial.org/. Visit this site to register and record your military history story.
Learn more about women veterans by watching The Hello Girls and The Six Triple Eight, documentaries based on true stories from World War I and World War II.
Please thank and remember all veterans on Veterans Day, November 11, and especially thank and remember women veterans on June 12th, Louisiana Women Veterans Day!
Less than 2 percent of American women have worn a military uniform keeping our country free for 100 percent of Americans.
