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"Last week, just in time for Veterans Day, the Army unveiled the Lt. FAWMA statue at Fort Lee, Virginia. It’s the first statue commissioned and placed on a military base time that features a woman soldier.
The ten-foot monument, whose name comes from an acronym for the Friends of the Army Women’s Museum, commemorates all the women who have taken the oath and served in the US Army. The public honor that the statue represents is overdue, for too long women have been soldiering alongside men, taking the same risks but receiving little of the recognition for their sacrifices and contributions in the military.
While the statue is a tribute to all women soldiers, it was designed to commemorate those who served in our most recent wars, a significant step by the U.S. Army to recognize and honor the part women play in military operations. The figure is dressed in modern combat equipment and carries a loaded M4 rifle. It’s the standard gear for all soldiers, the combat load that we wore every time we went out on a mission overseas. It’s refreshing to finally see a public display showing the rifle and gear worn by a woman. A powerful tribute to the burden that women have carried in combat.
Though FAWMA is the first to be place on a military base, it’s not the first monument to women soldiers. In 1982, the city of New York placed a plaque in Fort Tryon Park honoring Margaret Corbin, who fought in the Battle of New York in 1776. She originally participated as a “Molly Pitcher,” following her soldier husband, a member of a cannon crew. When he fell, Margaret stepped into his position and ensured the cannon remained operational, providing suppressing fire against British commanded Hussians until she was wounded by grape shot. Corbin’s actions were recognized by the Continental Congress, who granted her a disability pension for combat injuries for the rest of her life. She is the only woman to have received such recognition and be rewarded for her service with the same benefits given to other veterans, prior to modern conflicts. "
"Last week, just in time for Veterans Day, the Army unveiled the Lt. FAWMA statue at Fort Lee, Virginia. It’s the first statue commissioned and placed on a military base time that features a woman soldier.
The ten-foot monument, whose name comes from an acronym for the Friends of the Army Women’s Museum, commemorates all the women who have taken the oath and served in the US Army. The public honor that the statue represents is overdue, for too long women have been soldiering alongside men, taking the same risks but receiving little of the recognition for their sacrifices and contributions in the military.
While the statue is a tribute to all women soldiers, it was designed to commemorate those who served in our most recent wars, a significant step by the U.S. Army to recognize and honor the part women play in military operations. The figure is dressed in modern combat equipment and carries a loaded M4 rifle. It’s the standard gear for all soldiers, the combat load that we wore every time we went out on a mission overseas. It’s refreshing to finally see a public display showing the rifle and gear worn by a woman. A powerful tribute to the burden that women have carried in combat.
Though FAWMA is the first to be place on a military base, it’s not the first monument to women soldiers. In 1982, the city of New York placed a plaque in Fort Tryon Park honoring Margaret Corbin, who fought in the Battle of New York in 1776. She originally participated as a “Molly Pitcher,” following her soldier husband, a member of a cannon crew. When he fell, Margaret stepped into his position and ensured the cannon remained operational, providing suppressing fire against British commanded Hussians until she was wounded by grape shot. Corbin’s actions were recognized by the Continental Congress, who granted her a disability pension for combat injuries for the rest of her life. She is the only woman to have received such recognition and be rewarded for her service with the same benefits given to other veterans, prior to modern conflicts. "
