First Lady Commemorates Women’s Armed Services Integration Act 

WASHINGTON — First Lady Dr. Jill Biden and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, were among those in attendance to honor America’s women veterans and recognize 75 years of women’s integration into the U.S. Armed Forces at a “Women Veterans Recognition Day” event at the Military Women’s Memorial at the Gateway to Arlington Cemetery on Monday.

Three-quarters of a century earlier, and after two years of legislative debate, President Harry S. Truman signed into law the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act of 1948, Public Law 625, which authorized the enlistment and appointment of women in the Regular Air Force, Regular Navy and Marine Corps, as well as the Reserve components of those military branches. 

Since then, nearly 3 million women have served the nation, several hundred of whom were on hand to be acknowledged during the Women Veterans Recognition Day event. 

“I know that this journey has not always been easy, and I know that the progress we’ve made has not been felt equally by all, but you never gave up,” Biden said. “[Women] were never drafted, but they always answered the call of duty in whatever way they could, and for 75 years they have been able to serve as permanent regular members of our military.” 

Recognizing that many women in the room “shattered glass ceilings … for the girls who will inherit our world,” the first lady and Collins presented one particular military trailblazer with the Senator Margaret Chase Smith Leadership Award, named in honor of then-Rep. Smith, who was the driving force behind the 1948 Women’s Armed Services Integration Act.

Air Force Brig. Gen. (Retired) Wilma L. Vaught, one of the most decorated women in the history of the U.S. military and one of only seven women generals in the Armed Forces when she retired in 1985, accepted the award at age 93.

Before a program of tributes, honors and music from Pershing’s Own Chamber Players of the U.S. Army Band, Biden reminded the audience that the Women In Military Service For America Memorial is a one-of-a-kind tribute to women in America’s military. 

“This memorial is the place to honor and mourn those who have paid the ultimate price for our freedom, but it’s also a place to celebrate those who survived,” she said. “Those who were denied opportunities, and who were dismissed because they were women, and who fought to change that for the generations to come.” 

She told those current and past servicewomen in attendance, “Today, the United States has the greatest fighting force in the world. Our nation is stronger, and our world is safer, and that’s thanks to all of you. Your president and I are grateful for everything you’ve done and everything that you continue to do.”

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