This Veterans Day, we’re pausing to express our gratitude to all who have served in our country’s military. And as a company built for and by women, we especially want to acknowledge the more than 2 million female veterans living in the United States today.
Believe it or not, some of the first women to officially serve our country are in their 90s today – a living reminder that it was 1948 before the Women's Armed Service Integration Act allowed women to receive regular permanent status in the armed forces. While historians acknowledge that women almost certainly served without formal recognition earlier than that, it is a powerful reminder of the pervasive gender discrimination women have faced even in seeking to sacrifice, serve, and defend their own country. In fact, certain combat jobs remained off limits to women until as recently as 2016.
Our female veterans leave behind a mighty legacy, both with their formal service to our country, which often requires immeasurable sacrifice, and by paving the way for future generations of girls seeking to serve in our armed forces.
Some of the heroes we’re thinking about today are Purple Heart recipients like Senator Tammy Duckworth. Then there’s Deborah Sampson, who fought in the Revolutionary War while disguised as a man. It took three years for her true identity to be revealed. And did you know that Golden Girls wasn’t Bea Arthur’s first brush with female camaraderie? Bea also served as an early member of the Marine Corps' Women's Reserve in the 1940s.
We won’t deny it. We love a woman in uniform — and these are just three of the millions of female veterans we honor. Today and every day, we are grateful for your service.
Feeling inspired to support our veterans or armed forces?
Support current service members by sending a care package.
If you know an active duty service member, sending a care package is a welcome reminder of home. Put together a few nonperishable items that will make their day during deployment – things like hair ties, protein bars, popular paperbacks, gummy candies, trail mix, hand sanitizer, sunblock, lip balm, and period products (like our Skin-Safe™hybrid pads).
When you’re ready to send your military care package, prep it for a long trip. The US Postal service will send free packing materials for military care packages straight to your home. You can request the supplies here.
Make sure you follow any special rules and instructions about addressing your package so that she gets it without delay.
Support organizations supporting female veterans.
As women grow in number across all branches of the military, so do the number of female-focused veterans programs and organizations. Here are a few: