On March 18 from 1 PM to 3 PM, Vallejo’s Women Veterans will be honored with a short ceremony and presented with various certificates of appreciation at 734 Marin Street in Vallejo.
This event will be the culmination of California Women’s Military History Week and it is a collaboration among members of the Manuel L. Quezon Post 603 and the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum.
There are almost 2 million women Veterans in the United States, according to the US Department of Veterans Affairs.
Undeservedly, women veterans continue to experience lack of recognition and worse, they face significant barriers and challenges in accessing necessary health care and other services. Also, because they are usually overlooked by everyone, they frequently struggle to even consider themselves as veterans.
Women Veterans’ issues were discussed by VA Director Lourdes Tiglao and and CalVet Deputy Secretary Virginia Wimmer during their Memorial Day 2022 speeches at the Mare Island Naval Cemetery in Vallejo.
For the March 18 event, Vallejo’s Women Veterans are also being asked to participate in the “I Am Not Invisible” campaign by doing the Oral History Project and the CalVet Women Voices program.
Both projects aim to increase visibility, and increase awareness and understanding about women Veterans and to open everyone else’s eyes to the myriad contributions, needs, and experiences of women who have served in the military.
Vallejo Women Veterans who wish to be presented with Certificates of Appreciation must submit names by March 1 to Nestor.Aliga@comcast.net or (707) 853-0062.
Author: Nestor Aliga
Nestor Aliga was born in the Philippines and migrated to Vallejo, CA in 1967. He was in the US Marine Corps from 1974 to 1976 then in the US Army from 1976 to 2008. He is a life-member of the Big-Three, www.CALEGION.org, www.VFWCA.org, and www.DAVCAL.org.