2018 WIMSA Annual Report

The Women In Military Service For America Memorial
Women In Military Service For America Memorial
Annual Report
From our visitors….
“I am 22 and I am a United State Marine! One
thing that I can say is that the Marine Corps
has changed my life. As a woman of color with all
that I have had to overcome, I would not have
made it very far had The Corps not saved me
from the environment I came from, and also from
myself. To the women, strong and beautiful, who
have served before me – I thank you for making
this possible….” Alexa D.
*****************
“I am involved in my high school’s JROTC
program… I still feel like I must prove myself as
a capable female with leadership skills every day.
Thank you for proving to me that women can,
have, will and do accomplish astounding, impossible
things every day. You are all loved beyond measure.
I applaud and respect the sacrifices you choose to
make. Please don’t stop…. You are American
Treasures. Thank you for your service.” Cadence
If ever you wonder if
there is still a need for a
National Memorial that
honors and records the
history of military
women’s service – just
read a few entries from
the Memorial Visitor’s
Guest Book.
If ever you need to
understand how
important it is to provide
examples of women
leading and reaching
the heights of
accomplishment – just
read our guest book.
If ever you want to know
what courage can look
like… visit the Memorial.
Women of all eras have
continued to volunteer
to serve at every
opportunity. From the birth of our country till today – ordinary women
have chosen to serve and have done extraordinary things. Women
like Dr. Olivia Hooker, one of the first African American women to
volunteer for the Coast Guard in WWII or Captain Rosemary Mariner,
US Navy (Retired), one of the first women to earn her naval wings, the
first to fly a tactical jet aircraft, and the first woman to command an
aviation squadron. We are proud to remember their names.
Our goal for 2019 is to continue to sustain the Women’s Memorial and
ensure it will survive for decades to come as a place where everyone
can learn about the astounding history of America’s military women.
____________________________
_________________________________
Dee Ann McWilliams
Jeanette K. Edmunds
Major General US Army (Retired) Major General US Army (Retired)
President
Board Chair

2018 – Setting a Financial Foundation
HONORING
AMERICA’S
WOMEN PATRIOTS
In 2016 and 2017 The Foundation had to make very hard
choices to bring expenses and revenue into balance. We
had to reduce staff, reduce administrative and storage
space and renegotiate contracts. But we did it.
When we asked the Memorial’s members, partners and
supporters for help, they came through. All these things have
allowed us to clear all our outstanding debt by 2018.
The Women In
Military Service
For America
Memorial is
dedicated to
Honoring
America’s
military
women,
Educating the
public on their
service,
Empowering
the next
generations,
and
Remembering
those who
have made
the ultimate
sacrifice.
Additionally, with the help of a large coalition of members of
Congress, we were able to secure Federal grant support to
begin to address long deferred maintenance issues at the
Memorial.
As we ended 2018 the Foundation Staff and Board were able
to start turning attention to the future and delivering more
content and programs that highlight the contributions of
America’s military women.
Where does the Memorial funding come from? More than 70%
of the funding that supports the Women’s Memorial
traditionally comes directly from Registrants and other
individual supporters ((Individual Donations + Direct Mail +
Bequests). A major ongoing objective is to improve our
outreach to Corporations, Foundations and other
Organizations.
REVENUE SOURCES AVERAGED OVER 2010-2018
(DOES NOT INCLUDE NON-RECURRING FEDERAL GRANTS AUTHORIZED IN 2017/18)
Charity Navigator’s most recent rating of the Women’s
Memorial is three stars – that rating was based on our 2016
Form 990 when we still carried a substantial debt obligation

and ended the year in with a deficit. Now entering 2019, we are very grateful
to be free of debt and operating with a balanced annual budget. Our detailed
financial information (IRS Form 990s) can be found at:
https://www.womensmemorial.org/memorial/foundation/financials
2018 – Partner Highlights
WIMSA is proud to have the support of many organizations over the course of
2018. Key partners included:
The Piney Creek Chapter NSDAR
Fluor Military Support Coalition
American Legion NUWARINE Post 535, Michigan
Kate Waller Barrett Chapter - National Society of the Daughters of the
American Revolution
Palatinate Chapter - National Society of the Daughters of the American
Revolution
Fannie & Stephen Kahn Charitable Foundation
AYCO Charitable Foundation
Lincoln Community Foundation Inc.
IBM Veteran’s Affinity Group

2018 - Events, Exhibits Programs and Campaigns - What we did do
State Ambassadors – The Women’s
Memorial established an Ambassador
Program and appointed at least one
Ambassador in every state.
These Ambassadors serve as
official representatives of
the Memorial and provide
information and education
about the Memorial and the
service of our military
women. A key objective of
JILL HENRY
the Ambassador Program is
(IL)
to encourage more women
to Register their story of service in our living history data base. In 2018 our
Ambassadors spoke at and participated in hundreds of events across the
country, reaching more than 100,000 people with information and insights on
the patriotism and courage of America’s military women.
Virginia’s Women’s Veteran’s Week. Virginia
legislature passed a resolution declaring the third full
week in March as Women’s Veterans Week. We
were honored to receive a copy of that declaration
from sponsors Delegate Kathleen Murphy and then
State Senator Jennifer Wexton.
PRESENTATION OF VIRGINIA PROCLAMATION
100TH ANNIVERSARY CAKE
Women Marines 100 th Anniversary –
WIMSA partnered with Women Marines
Association and the VA Center for
Women Veterans to celebrate the 100 th
Anniversary of women serving in the
Marine Corps. We were privileged to
have Lieutenant General Loretta
Reynolds as our keynote speaker for this
celebration.

Veterans Portrait Project – Sponsored by Fluor
Military Support Coalition and in partnership with
the VA Center for Women Veterans, the threeday
program included an educational event:
"Shooter: Combat from Behind the Camera". This
program provided insights into the experiences of
Air Force combat photographer Stacy Pearsall,
who was wounded in combat and after
retirement has made telling the story of American
Veterans through photography her life's passion.
VETERAN'S PORTRAIT PROJECT EXHIBIT
Additionally, we opened an exhibit of 21 pieces of
Stacy's artwork. The opening was livestreamed over
the Women’s Memorial social media channels. The
live stream exhibit opening has had over 1,300 views
from across the country.
Other activities over the weekend included a twoday
free portrait project where Stacy captured
portraits of 34 veterans and in some cases veterans
and their family members.
On Monday November 19 th the Washington Post, the
seventh largest newspaper in the US, with a
readership of 80.8 million covered the VPP’s visit to
the Women’s Memorial on the front page of the
Metro Section and half of page 4 of the same
section. This story was picked up by Washington Post
affiliate papers from the east coast to Alaska, and papers from Guam to Brunei.
Changing the Face of Courage – In 2018 we
partnered with IBM’s Military Affinity Group
and launched our Changing the Face of
Courage Campaign on Veteran’s Day.
More than three million women are serving
or have served in the U.S. Armed Forces
since the American Revolution, but the
stories of these courageous patriots are
often unknown. For the most part, history
tells the stories of service members who
were men, and the service of women goes
DR. OLIVA HOOKER, COAST GUARD
unrecognized. The Changing the Face of
Courage Campaign seeks to broaden our ideas of what courage looks like and
open dialogue to explore how women contribute to making a safer and better
world.

This campaign highlighted incredible women like Dr. Olivia Hooker who sadly
passed away in 2018 at the age of 103. Dr. Hooker helped break down
perceptions what courage looks like her whole life. As a child, she survived the
1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. She went on to become the first black woman to
enlist in the Coast Guard in WWII. After the war, she earned a master’s degree
at Columbia University and a doctorate at the University of Rochester. She was
a professor until she retired at age 87. There are so many remarkable stories -
our campaign intends to ensure they are preserved and told for generations to
come.
To learn more about these amazing women go to:
https://www.womensmemorial.org/events/changing-the-face-of-courage
Exhibit Support to Other Museums – The history that the Women’s Memorial
Curates is not only for display in our Education Center. We provide loans to
exhibits at many other national and local museums, enabling the story of
women’s service to the nation to be woven into a broader historical narrative.
Without our collections some of this history would not be available. Recent
exhibits we have or are currently supporting
include:
Smithsonian Institution National Museum of
American History, Washington, DC - The
Price of Freedom: Americans at War exhibit
• World War II Navy Nurse Corps service
jacket
• World War II booklet, WAC Life
Smithsonian Institution National Museum of
African American History and Culture,
Washington, DC - Military History Gallery
• Major rank insignia and Women’s Army
Corps (WAC) collar insignia belonging to
Charity Adams Earley who was the commander
of the 6888th Central Postal Directory
Battalion—the only African American WAC unit
stationed overseas during World War II
• Garrison cap and booklet, The WAC Officer: A
Guide to Successful Leadership belonging to
Martha Settle Putney, who served from 1943 to
1946 and was commanding officer of a WAC
unit of medical and surgical technicians at
Gardiner General Hospital in Chicago, Illinois
NAVY NURSE JACKET - COURTESY OF WIMSA
GARRISON CAP AND BOOKLET –
COURTESY OF WIMSA

National Civil Rights Museum, Memphis, Tennessee - I, Too, Am American:
Combatting Jim Crow 1896-1954 Exhibit Gallery
• World War II Women’s Army Corps uniform belonging to Gladys (Thomas)
Anderson
Norton Air Force Base Museum, San Bernardino, California
• 1950s Women in the Air Force (WAF) Band white summer uniform and hat
Smithsonian Institution National Museum of African American History and
Culture, Washington, DC - We Return Fighting: The African American Experience
in World War I - September 2019-June 2020 - Exhibition exploring America
through an African American lens prior to and through the end of World War I,
and into the 1920s. The exhibition examines the French acceptance of African
American soldiers during and after the war. Objects from our collection included
in the Homefront section of the exhibit:
• US Navy Yeoman (F) uniform (jacket and skirt)—representative of the
uniform worn by the known 14 African American Yeomen (F) who worked
in the enrollment department at the Navy Department during the war
• Army Nurse Corps cape and nurse’s cap—representative of the uniform
worn by the known 18 African American nurses who served during the war
Smithsonian Institution National Postal Museum, Washington, DC - February 2-
August 5, 2018 - In Her Words: Women’s Duty and Service in World War I
• This exhibition, developed jointly by
the National Postal Museum and the
Women’s Memorial Foundation,
explored the typical wartime
experiences of four women who
served in and alongside the
American military. In letters shared
with family and friends, these
women recorded their work, daily
lives, and hopes. Their words were
shaped by their own personalities
and relationships, as well as by
social expectations and policies like
military censorship of mail written by
Americans serving overseas.
• Correspondence, wartime
ephemera, medals, and uniforms from the
NATIONAL POSTAL MUSEUM – “IN HER OWN WORDS” –
ARITFACTS COURTESY OF WIMSA
Women’s Memorial
Foundation Collection were used as the basis for the exhibition.

2019 – What’s In Store
There is a lot of hard work ongoing to maintain and
improve the Memorial as a tribute to those who are
serving and have served.
Register Data Base Upgrade – The data base that
runs the Register is being completely modernized.
This is no small task, but, once completed, it will be
possible to Register directly online as well as see and
update a historical record in real time. We are also
planning for more space to write individual story(ies)
of service.
Building Repairs – If you have ever visited the Memorial
when it is raining you will have seen evidence of how
much maintenance has been deferred over the 21
years since dedication - all because of funding
challenges. Thanks to help from some members of
Congress – we received funds in 2017 and 2018 to
address these structural issues. 2017 and 2018 have
been the engineering and planning phase for
structural repairs, with the actual work ongoing in
2019.
Exhibit Renewal – Along with repairs to the building
we have been pursuing updates to our exhibits. This
is another area where time has taken its toll in wear
and tear, not to mention that history itself has
continued to evolve! We expect the “reenvisioned”
exhibit space to be very exciting and
tecnologically able to tie the Register data base of
indiviual histories into the historical exhibits.
Educational Programming – We are focused on
increasing the accessiblity of our collections both
onsite though exhibits and by digital educational
material available on line. We also partner with
other organzations, filmakers, authors and artists to
bring relevant programming to the memorial.
THE REGISTER
LEAKS IN EXHIBIT GALLERIES
EXHIBITS DAMAGED BY LIGHT

2019 - How you can continue to help
Register - Help complete the history!! Register!! Yourself, your family members,
your friends, neighbors, co-workers, employees!! Every story of service deserves
to be told.
Support - Sponsor the history of the next generation of women patriots. The
Women’s Memorial counts on our members, friends and sponsors to continue
the mission of recording and telling the story of women’s service. For every $25
we raise we can collect, curate and tell the story of another ordinary woman
who has volunteered to make extraordinary sacrifices to serve her country and
help preserve our freedoms.
Visit – Come to the Memorial to experience history through the personal stories
of those who have served.
Consider the Memorial As a Venue: If you are having a conference or event,
being promoted, or retiring the Women’s Memorial is a spectacular option.
Beyond beautiful, it is close to downtown Washington D.C., the Pentagon and
is Metro accessible.
Follow Us:
Our Web Page: www.womensmemorial.org
On social media:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/womensmemorial/
Twitter: #wimsatweets
Instagram: #hermemorial
Volunteer – The Women’s Memorial Education Center honors and shares the
stories of the women who served or are serving in all branches of the United
States military. We are partnered with the National Park Service to build a team
of volunteers, who help preserve the stories of servicewomen’s service and
achievement and make their contributions a visible part of our history.
Volunteers are vital members of the Memorial’s team, working to honor,
educate, and inspire. If you are a history buff, if you like telling stories, if you are
looking for a way to give back or a summer intern opportunity contact our
volunteer Coordinator, Jill Szaroleta, at jszaroleta@womensmemorial.org.

Our Board
Honorary Chairs:
Vivien S. Crea, Vice Admiral, US Coast Guard (Retired)
Ann E. Dunwoody, General, US Army (Retired)
Michelle J. Howard, Admiral, US Navy (Retired)
Carol A. Mutter, Lieutenant General, US Marine Corps (Retired)
Janet C. Wolfenbarger, General, US Air Force (Retired)
Foundation President - Dee Ann McWilliams, Major General, US Army (Retired)
President Emeritus - Wilma L. Vaught, Brigadier General, US Air Force (Retired)
Board Chairwoman - Jan Edmunds, Major General, US Army (Retired)
Vice Chairwoman - Nancy J. Lescavage, Rear Admiral, US Navy (Retired)
Treasurer - Julie I. Englund, Ed.D.
Secretary - Barbara A. Goodwin, Brigadier General, US Air Force (Retired)
Jody Brown, Executive Vice President, Public Corporate Communications, CACI
Espey T. (Ted) Browning, Jr. US Army, Veteran
Melissa Crane, Master Sergeant, US Marine Corps (Retired)
Brenda D. Davis, US Marine Corps, Veteran
Eden J. Murrie, Brigadier General, US Air Force (Retired)
Mariah S. Sixkiller, Sixkiller Consulting
Allyson Solomon, Brigadier General, US Air Force (Retired)
Kim Torbert, Lieutenant Commander, US Coast Guard, (Retired)
Caryn Wagner, The Honorable, Army Veteran
Legal Counsel
Kristin Altoff, Morgan, Lewis and Bockius LLP

Post Script
“I am surprised there
are so many ladies.” Amy
“Proud to have followed in the
footsteps of these “badasses.”
BM3 C. USCG
“As a civilian from England this
exhibition has taught me much. I am
particularly moved by the emails from
Iraq after the fall of Baghdad.
Fascinating, personal and a reminder of
what war means, the details of it, the
daily fear.” P. R.
“For too long women have not had
their place in history. This
memorial is so important to mark
the service, impact and sacrifice
that women have had + given.”
Thank you. K.G.
“Thank you for honoring my battle buddy
Ashley White, 1LT. I did not know this
memorial was here. Well done.” BHC
[1st Lt. Ashley White was killed during combat
operations in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan on
October 22, 2011 when the assault force she was
supporting triggered an improvised explosive
device….. We will make sure America always
remembers her name.]

Honor Educate Empower Remember