Published: November 09, 2009 11:14 pm      

Women veterans serve nation honorably

EDMOND — War stories often include accounts of gear-laden lads landing on Normandy beaches, or of generals in jeeps surveying battlefields.

An often overlooked subject is the contribution of women veterans.

During the American Revolution women tended to the wounded and served as cooks, seamstresses and launderers. During the Civil War, they disguised themselves as men and assumed roles in combat, as spies, as saboteurs and as couriers.

During World War II more than 1,000 women test-piloted aircraft, ferried planes and logged more than 60 million miles in the air. And in the early 1990s, they began flying combat aircraft.

Retired Staff Sgt. Regina Middleton, of Edmond, served as a personnel records supervisor and a supply clerk, a job that included ordering parts for about 500 types of vehicles. Middleton, former commander of Edmond’s American Legion Post 111, served in the U.S. Army from 1979-82, and in the U.S. Army Reserves from 1982-1994.

Middleton said the achievements of former women veterans paved the way for herself and others.

“It makes me very proud to be a woman, to carry on their tradition and to do my part for the country,” Middleton said.

Retired Maj. Gen. LaRita A. Aragon, of Edmond, was the first female commander in the Oklahoma Air National Guard, the first female to hold the rank of Brigadier General in Oklahoma National Guard. She retired in 2007.

Today, while there are no military-imposed limits on the percentage of women in the armed forces, women are still limited in their combat roles, Aragon said. They can serve in most categories, but not in ground combat.

Middleton is president of the Oklahoma Women Veterans Organization, and said there are about 25,000 women veterans in the state.

During World War I roughly 350,000 American women served in the military, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. In 1950, at the time the Korean conflict broke out, there were about 22,000 women in the armed forces, with roughly one-third in nursing or health-related jobs.

Bill Milam, commander of Edmond’s VFW Post 4938, said during his military career he supervised several women who were excellent at their jobs. Milam said women have always been important to the military.

“They made an outstanding contribution,” he said.

Milam said VFW members would be providing their annual flag service to Edmond businesses on Veterans Day.

Aragon urged residents to be mindful of the ongoing sacrifices being made by troops around the world, and to be mindful of their various needs when they return. She said she enjoys Edmond, partly because residents are patriotic and accepting of service men and women.

Middleton asked residents to fly their U.S. flags at half staff in honor of the fallen troops at Fort Hood and others. She also wants residents to remember the reason for Veterans Day, to honor all male and female veterans who served their country.

Middleton urged Edmond residents to find a ceremony to attend. A Veterans Day service will be from 10 a.m. to noon Wednesday at the 45th Infantry Division Museum, 2145 N.E. 36th St., Oklahoma City.



Veterans Day closings

The following will be closed Wednesday in honor of the federal Veterans Day holiday:

All local, county, state and federal government offices;

The U.S. Postal Service — mail delivery will resume Thursday; and

Most banks.

While city offices will be closed, trash collection will continue this week on its normal schedule.

The Edmond Sun’s offices will be open for regular business hours, but no Wednesday paper will be delivered. See The Edmond Sun online for updated news throughout the day.