Captain Lorna Fairchild receives a Certificate of Appreciation from the MOAA.
The speaker for the December 17 meeting of the Catalina Mountain Satellite was Chapter member Captain Lorna Fairchild (U.S. Army Retired) who provided a very engaging talk and illuminated how women have defended our county throughout our history. Captain Fairchild served in multiple military transportation and training assignments during her career, including supporting Desert Storm in the early 90s. One particularly interesting Command position involved securing materials for the Army Museum, including parts of the Berlin Wall.
Captain Fairchild reminded us that women have supported fighting men, probably since war began – nursing the wounded, feeding and clothing the men and a variety of other key functions. So they have been involved since the beginning. Although, prior to the formation of the Army Nurse Corps in 1901, they often had to fake identities as Deborah Samson did to fight in our Revolutionary War or to disguise themselves as Elizabeth Newcume did to fight in the Mexican War of 1848.
Most of us are familiar with the term WAC – Women in the Army – which was one of the first, non-nursing related, formal associations of women in the military. It was preceded by the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps which was established on May 15, 1942 and then converted to full Army membership with the WAC on July 1, 1943 with its first director, Colonel Oveta Culp Hobby. The WAC continued until 1978 when all female units were integrated with male units.
Captain Fairchild related many of the firsts for women as they moved up the ranks and into leadership positions across the spectrum of responsibilities from nursing to commanding battalions and to leading major Army commands. The first female general was Brigadier General Hays in 1970 and the first female four-star was General Dunwoody 36 years later. Women in combat evolved over time. Captain Linda Bray was the first woman to lead a platoon in combat in 1989. Sergeant Hester who won a Silver Star for exceptional valor in Iraq in 2005. The evolution continues. A recent first is women successfully completing Army Ranger training in 2015, but they are not yet serving in the Ranger Corps.
Our next meeting will be held on Saturday, January 21, 2017, in the East Room, MountainView Country Club, 38759 S. MountainView Boulevard, Tucson, Arizona 85739; phone: 818-1000. Lunch can be ordered starting at 11:30 a.m. The speakers will be Jim and Joanne Fairweather, SaddleBrooke residents. Jim is a retired U.S.A.F. and corporate pilot; Joanne was a teacher and corporate jet flight attendant. They have interesting stories to tell about some of their experiences. Spouses are welcome and invited.
For additional information, contact Colonel Rett Benedict, president, 825-7424, [email protected] or Colonel Tom Owens, MOAA Tucson President, 760-3476, [email protected]. Check website: www.tucsonmoaa.com for information.