USPS Publication Number 16300
T h is C o m mu n i t y N ewsp a p er is a pu bl ica t ion of E sca m bia-S a n t a Rosa B a r Assoc ia t ion
Se r v i ng t he Fi r st Jud icial Ci rcu it
Section A, Page 1
Vol. 19, No. 46
Visit The Summation Weekly Online: www.summationweekly.com
November 27, 2019
1 Section, 8 Pages
RESPECT, RETAIN AND RECRUIT
by Heidy Travis
F
or as long as there has been war, women have served in times of combat in some capacity. During the Civil War, for example, some women dressed as men to fight for the North or South. Women were not only soldiers, but they also served as spies and nurses. Many of these women have come to be important figures in American history, such as Clara Barton, Harriet Tubman, Margaret Corbin and Mary Edwards Walker, who was the only woman ever to receive a Congressional Medal of Honor. According to the Service Women’s Action Network, there are approximately 210,000 women in active service in the United States today. Add to that another 5,955 serving in the Coast Guard and you have roughly 20 to 25 percent of all military service in the U.S. Women play no small role in the defense of this country, yet they fly under the radar more often than not; their sacrifices and brave deeds gone unrecognized by the vast majority of the public eye. Michelle Caldwell wants to change that. A Service-Connected Disabled Veteran herself, Caldwell knows a thing or two about women in the military. She served in the United States Navy and was stationed at NAS Pensacola in 1986 working as an Avionics Electronic Technician servicing all manner of aircraft directly in the flight line. Now Caldwell continues to serve by leading the charge for advocacy and women veterans’ rights here in Pensacola. She spearheads the Monument to Women Veterans nonprofit organization and has been hard at work since its inception in 2011. The ambitious plan includes the monument itself, a 30-ft sculpture with flames, and a laser beam over a stainless-steel elliptical band of flowing water that will be surrounded by figures of women from each branch of service. Caldwell’s plan also includes a Museum focused on female
Veterans as well. The museum is set to be housed in the old Amtrak train station on Heinberg Street and will sit just across from the monument itself. World renowned sculptor Elizabeth MacQueen has been selected as the artist who will bring the monument to life, garnering the project some much deserved attention. It was Caldwell’s own experience in the military that inspired her to create the Monument to Women Veterans organization. -“Originally, I joined the military to do missionary work with a group called the Navigators. There were not a lot of women in the aviation field at that time. Male dominance in military at that time was very difficult,” Caldwell said. As she would find out, this dominance brought about a whole slew of problems, which notably gained heightened visibility during her time of service. “This was the era of the Tail Hook scandal,” Caldwell explained. “That scandal publicly exposed the military sexual trauma disease (MST) that still plagues the military today. MST is at 50 percent and has increased 10 percent every year. I am an MST survivor and I continue to work to bring awareness to that problem today.” It is this desire to raise awareness for women veterans’ issues that drives Caldwell to pursue the Monument for Women Veterans. PTSD, MST, domestic violence, unemployment
and homelessness are just a few of the issues that these veterans face—issues that Caldwell hopes to combat through education with the revenue gained through the museum. While the project finds its home here in Pensacola, a move which Caldwell says makes sense given that this city has some of the top programs and resources for returning veterans and a community which truly embraces servicemen and women, it will have a national impact as well. “Both projects are set to impact women nationally and internationally who currently serve or have previously served in the military,” Caldwell said. “We see the museum and monument as recognizing past, present and future women. The museum and monument will bring more current perspectives to the table because women are making history now as they fill positions at the top level of service. We will implement the 3R’s: Respect, Retain and Recruit.” Respecting service, retaining the caliber of women who are currently serving and recruiting the next generation are intrinsic to Caldwell’s mission. She keeps this close to her heart as she and her organization work to improve the conditions in which servicewomen labor—both before and after they have completed their time in the military. Yet, there remains void where support and recognition of women are concerned. This troubling fact has been a sore spot for Caldwell for some years now. “We are still dealing with the lack of support for women not just in the military but across this country,” Caldwell said. “We believe we will have an impact on society by recognizing the women who have worn the uniform of this great nation.”
WE’RE SOCIAL
The message is clear: women in the military should be seen and heard. Still, eight years after its initial push, progress and support from local government lags despite evidence of the positive economic impact this project could have. “Currently, women make up approximately 25 percent of the military—plus 2.3 million women veterans. That’s about a 3.5 million niche market. The Monument and Museum to Women Veterans shows a potential $9 million economic impact,” Caldwell said. That, apparently, isn’t enough. “There is no doubt that we have not been embraced by the men in our area,” Caldwell said. “Currently, we have no congressman, congresswomen or senator who publicly supports the monument or the museum. We did have Mayor Hayward and his city council acknowledge us and lease us the Amtrak station, which we still do not have after waiting a year for the lease. Mayor Robinson has been a supporter and was the first person in a political position to publicly support the monument,” she said. For now, the projected date for the monument’s completion is in approximately two years, but they need all hands on deck. To us, Caldwell issues her call to arms, saying: “There is no monument to recognize 25 percent of the military and 2.3 million women veterans who have been serving in combat since 1948. Now is the time to be recognized as a community that is willing to do what needs to be done to make this project a reality,” Caldwell said. For more information or to lend your support, please visit the Monument to Women Veterans website at monumenttowomenveterans.info/ monument. •
CONNECT WITH US ON SOCIAL MEDIA